The situation in Haiti is quickly deteriorating into anarchy, with the government’s control nonexistent in many parts of the country. Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry was on a visit to Kenya to drum up support for an international peacekeeping force to restore order to his country. However, gangs are on a rampage in the tiny Caribbean nation, with the airport closed and jails pillaged. More than 4,000 inmates have been freed and are now roaming the streets of Haiti.
After his visit to Kenya, Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry could not return to his country, where he had been ruling for the last two years following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021. He had promised elections but kept postponing them. He was supposed to land in the Dominican Republic, but the country did not allow him to enter. He later landed on American territory in Puerto Rico and then in Jamaica, where he is still stuck, unable to return home.
Henry was facing increasing pressure from the international community to step down and allow elections in the country.
Henry’s position as Prime Minister has not been recognized by the international community because he had not faced elections and was not an elected leader.
Henry was appointed by the core group constituted by a U.N. resolution and had diplomats from the EU, France, the U.S., Brazil, and Canada. He was appointed and replaced Claude Joseph, who was prime minister at the time.
Meanwhile, attacks by mobsters and gangs have wrecked the economy, which depends a lot on tourism. The closure of the airport has led to many foreigners being stranded in the country and unable to exit. There are widespread food and water shortages in the country, which has one of the poorest GDPs among the Caribbean nations.
PM Ariel Henry Announces Resignation
Regional Caribbean leaders are urging Henry to step down, an option which he has consistently turned down.
The U.N. Security Council is scheduled to have an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss the situation.
A U.S. spokesman has said that Henry is not being asked to resign, but he is being urged to start the process of handing power to an inclusive governance structure.
Henry finally succumbed to international pressure and submitted his resignation.
He had fled to Jamaica from Puerto Rico, where he sent his resignation.
“Cannibal” Gang Leader Jimmy ‘Barbecue’ Cherizier
In the chaos, one name in the news is the dreaded gang lord Jimmy ‘Barbecue’ Cherizier, whose gang members are controlling many parts of the nation. Jimmy ‘Barbecue’ Cherizier is believed to nurture political ambitions and has repeatedly asked for the resignation of the current Prime Minister, Ariel Henry.
