Haiti’s prime minister, Ariel Henry, resigns as gangs roam free in crisis-ridden country

(CNN) — Haiti’s embattled leader Ariel Henry resigned Monday night, according to regional leaders, after weeks of escalating chaos in the Caribbean nation, where gangs are attacking government structures and the social order is on the verge of collapse.

In a speech late Monday, Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry said he would step down after the formation of a transitional council, acknowledging that the country needed “calm” and “peace.”

“Haiti needs peace. Haiti needs stability,” Henry said.

“My government will leave immediately after the inauguration of the council. We will be a caretaker government until a prime minister and a new cabinet are appointed,” Henry said in a video address.

Earlier, Henry’s adviser Jean Junior Joseph confirmed Henry’s resignation to CNN, though he insisted he would only step down when a new interim government is formed.

Guyana’s leader and current CARICOM president, Irfan Ali, announced late Monday at a press conference with other Caribbean leaders that Henry would “step down” in the interim “following the establishment of a transitional presidential council and the appointment of a prime minister.”

“We are pleased to announce the commitment to the Transitional Governance Agreement which paves the way for a peaceful transition of power, regime continuity and near-term security and an action plan on the way to free and fair elections,” Ali announced, adding: “Furthermore, he wants to ensure That Haiti will be governed by the rule of law.”

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

Haitian police officers are deployed in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on March 9, 2024. An AFP correspondent heard sporadic gunfire in Port-au-Prince late on March 8, as residents desperately sought shelter amid a recent outbreak of gang violence. Haitian capital. (Photo by Clarence Siffroy/AFP)

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

Henry was under pressure from the United States to secure a political settlement, but it was unclear who would intervene. One of the names being considered is Guy Phillips, a rebel leader who was recently deported from the United States to Haiti after serving a sentence for money laundering.

Armed gang leader Jimmy “Barbecue” Charizier and his men in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, March 5, 2024. (Credit: Clarence Sifroy/AFP via Getty Images)

Since Henry’s trip to Kenya, Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince has been rocked by a wave of attacks by highly organized gangs against law enforcement and state institutions, forcing thousands to flee their homes.

Chaos in the capital, Port-au-Prince

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 wounding police and prison staff and causing the escape of nearly 3,500 inmates.

One of the gang’s leaders, Jimmy “Barbecue” Charizier, took credit for the attack and said the escape was an attempt to overthrow Henry’s government.

“If Ariel Henry does not resign, if the international community continues to support Ariel Henry, they will lead us directly into a civil war that will end in genocide,” Charizier told Reuters in Port-au-Prince on Tuesday.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said last Wednesday that the United States was not seeking Henry’s resignation, but was urging him to “accelerate the transition to a strong and inclusive governance structure” to prepare for a multinational security and safety mission. , finally, holding elections.

According to UN estimates, gangs currently control 80% of the Haitian capital, and they continue to dispute the rest. While Henry was out of the country, the gang laid siege to the country’s main airport to prevent his safe return.

Some people arrive with their belongings at a shelter fleeing violence surrounding their homes, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, March 9, 2024. (Credit: Ralph Teddy Errol/Reuters)

The chaos has forced thousands of people to flee their homes in recent days, adding to the more than 300,000 people already displaced by gang violence.

Although security has worsened in recent months, Haiti has suffered for years from chronic violence, political crisis and drought, leaving some 5.5 million Haitians – nearly half the population – in need of humanitarian aid.

The United Nations estimates that approximately one million Haitian children are out of school, making them easy prey for recruitment by those living in gang-controlled areas. The country is also ravaged by a cholera epidemic in 2022.

UN human rights chief Volker Turk called the situation in Haiti “unsustainable” and called for the deployment of a multinational security mission to assist the Haitian police. “There is no real option available to save lives,” he said.

Before the latest outbreak of violence, a CNN team on the ground spoke to multiple civilians caught up in the country’s escalating violence, including rape victims, women who have seen their husbands burned to death, and teenagers who have been raped. Work for the gang.

A 14-year-old boy told CNN that when he was 11, he was recruited by a gang and forced to burn the bodies of people killed by other members.

“I want to change my lifestyle,” she said, fighting back tears.