Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry, challenged and faced with a wave of gang violence in his country, agreed on Monday to resign, the president of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) announced. “We note the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry,” said Mohamed Irfaan Ali, president of Guyana and Caricom, at a press conference following a meeting in Jamaica on the crisis in Haiti.
He said he was “happy” to announce “a transitional governance agreement paving the way for a peaceful transition of power, continuity of governance, a short-term security action plan and free and fair elections. The Caribbean countries met urgently on Monday in Jamaica, at the initiative of Caricom, with representatives of the UN and several countries, including France and the United States, to try to move forward on a solution in Haiti.
Explosion of violence
Stranded in Puerto Rico after being prevented from returning to Port-au-Prince, Ariel Henry spoke remotely with members of Caricom during the meeting. Without a president or parliament – the last head of state, Jovenel Moïse, was assassinated in 2021 – Haiti has not had an election since 2016. Ariel Henry, appointed by Jovenel Moïse, should have left office at the beginning of February. In early March, he signed an agreement in Nairobi to allow the sending of Kenyan police officers to Haiti and had since sought to return to his country.
Port-au-Prince has continued in recent days to descend into violence linked to gangs who are demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister, as have part of the population. The capital is the scene of clashes between police and armed gangs, who attack strategic sites such as the presidential palace, police stations and prisons.