Haiti’s PM Ariel Henry Resigns as Gangs Run Rampant Through Country

The embattled leader of Haiti, Ariel Henry, has resigned according to regional leaders after weeks of mounting chaos in the Caribbean nation, where gangs have been attacking government structures and social order is on the brink of collapse.

Henry submitted his resignation, officials of the regional bloc CARICOM announced Monday night.

“We acknowledge the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry upon the establishment of a transitional presidential council and the naming of an interim prime minister,” Guyana leader and current CARICOM President Irfaan Ali said.

CARICOM (the Caribbean Community and Common Market), a regional bloc of 25 countries that works on economic integration, security and social development, held a meeting on Haiti in the Jamaican capital of Kingston on Monday, according to the UN.

When the worst of the violence erupted last week, Henry was in Kenya to sign an agreement to send 1,000 Kenyan police officers to Haiti to restore the security situation of which his government has lost control.

Henry was under pressure from the US to secure a political settlement, but it is far from clear who will step in. One named touted is Guy Philippe, a rebel leader recently deported from the US to Haiti after serving time for money laundering.

Henry, who came to power unelected in 2021 after the assassination of Haiti’s then-president, delayed elections scheduled for last month, saying they could not be held until it was safe to do so. But his decision only further enraged protesters who had for months demanded he stand down as Haiti slid further into poverty and rampant gang violence.

Since Henry’s trip to Kenya, the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince has been gripped by a wave of highly coordinated gang attacks on law enforcement and state institutions, which has forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes.

Haiti’s government declared a state of emergency on Sunday after armed groups attacked the country’s largest prison in the capital Port-Au-Prince, killing and injuring police and prison staff and allowing some 3,500 inmates to escape.

By CNN