Prime Minister Ariel Henry has resigned, announced Tuesday March 12 the current president of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), Mohamed Irfaan Ali, head of state of Guyana.
“We note the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry,” Mr. Ali said at a press conference following a meeting in Jamaica devoted to the crisis in Haiti. He said he was “pleased” 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, plagued by gang violence and a governance crisis.
Several diplomats affirmed that the Kingston meeting was intended to formalize a proposal to Ariel Henry, so that he cedes power to a transitional council comprising a broad panel of Haitian civil society.
Clashes between police and armed gangs
Stranded in Puerto Rico after being prevented from returning to Port-au-Prince, Mr. Henry spoke remotely with Caricom members 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.
In recent days, Port-au-Prince has continued to descend into violence linked to gangs, who have demanded 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.
The President of Guyana affirmed, a few days ago, that Caricom intended to help restore “stability and normality” in Haiti, describing the situation there as “desperate”.
The latest sign of the security crisis, the evacuation on Monday of all European Union staff in Port-au-Prince. The German diplomatic mission announced a similar decision on Sunday, specifying that it had moved its ambassador to the Dominican Republic, a neighboring country from where he would work “until further notice”. During the night from Saturday to Sunday, the Americans evacuated their non-essential diplomatic personnel by helicopter from Port-au-Prince.
The Haitian authorities declared a state of emergency a week ago, accompanied by a nighttime curfew, in the West department, which includes the capital, but they do not fully control this territory. This curfew was extended on Monday until March 14, according to a press release from the authorities.
362,000 people displaced
The UN Security Council agreed in the fall of 2023 to send an international mission led by Kenya to help the Haitian police, but its deployment was painfully overdue.
Haitian security forces were able to regain control of the port of Port-au-Prince after clashes with gangs this weekend, the director of the National Port Authority, Jocelin Villier, said Monday. Boats have been able to unload containers but the main challenge remains transporting products and food from the port to the outside world, because the main roads are not secure enough, he added.
According to the International Organization for Migration, 362,000 people are currently displaced in Haiti, a figure that has jumped 15% since the start of the year.
