PORT-AU-PRINCE - Haiti Prime Minister Ariel Henry has resigned, potentially sparking a power struggle that could have broad implications for the Western Hemisphere’s poorest nation and the United States.
“The government I lead cannot remain insensitive to this situation. As I have always said, no sacrifice is too great for our homeland Haiti,” Mr Henry said in a resignation address that he posted online.
Videos distributed on Haitian social media appeared to show celebrations in the street, with people dancing to music in a party atmosphere and fireworks launched into the night sky.
Mr Henry’s resignation will be effective upon the creation of a transitional council that will appoint an interim prime minister and prepare for elections, according to Guyana President Irfaan Ali.
He is the current chair of Caricom, a Caribbean regional body that has been meeting to find a resolution to the crisis in Haiti.
“Haitians deserve a country where children can go to school and their parents know they will be safe,” Mr Ali said in a news conference on late March 11. “We implore all parties, all stakeholders, all Haitians to be patient.”
Mr Henry, who left Haiti on Feb 25 to meet Caribbean leaders in Guyana and hammer out a deal in Kenya that would open the doors for a UN-backed security force, has been unable to return to the country as gangs have attacked the capital and closed the main airport.
The Biden administration has called on Mr Henry to support a transition of power as the situation deteriorates.
Last weekend, gangs set the Interior Ministry ablaze overnight and attacked police stations and government offices in the capital.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken participated in meetings with Caricom in Jamaica on March 11, delivering a pledge for an additional US$100 million (S$133 million) from the US for a multinational peacekeeping force waiting for deployment to Haiti.
Washington earlier sought to support Mr Henry long enough to call for new elections.
But that position was challenged over the past few weeks, as gangs have emptied prisons, burned police stations and laid siege to the international airport.
More than 1,200 people have been murdered in 2024, and the United Nations estimates that about half the population is going hungry.
The plane he was travelling in was denied access to the Dominican Republic – which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti.
With the Prime Minister absent, other forces have started trying to fill the vacuum. One new political alliance involves former policeman Guy Philippe and former presidential candidate and senator Moise Jean Charles.
Philippe was behind a 2004 coup and spent several years in US prison on money laundering charges.
In addition, former policeman-turned-gang leader Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier warned that if Mr Henry returned, it would unleash a “civil war” and “genocide”.
While gangs have existed in Haiti for decades, they have grown powerful amid government and private sector complicity.
Today, they control about 80 per cent of the capital of Port-au-Prince and large parts of the countryside.
Mr Cherizier’s alliance claims to have 1,000 members, made up mainly of former policemen, security guards and children.
People who have been charged, indicted or convicted in any jurisdiction will not be able to participate in the political transition, Mr Ali said.
That effectively rules out Philippe, who has said he has aspirations to run for higher office.
Mr Henry was swept into power in the wake of the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise.
While he enjoyed international backing, in Haiti he was often seen as an unelected autocrat who used gang violence as an excuse to keep putting off elections.
Despite his unpopularity, Washington, the UN and others rallied behind him, short-circuiting other attempts to build a coalition government.
The US has provided more than US$5.5 billion to Haiti since 2010. Its US$100 million pledge this week brings its total commitment to finance the Kenyan-led peace mission to US$300 million. BLOOMBERG, AFP, REUTERS
