Haiti PM Resigns Amid Gang Pressure: CARICOM Announces Transitional Government

Gangs in Haiti have forced the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry to resign. Henry’s resignation was announced by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) following an emergency meeting with member states and international partners held in Kingston Jamaica yesterday. CARICOM issues a statement explaining that there will be a transitional government arrangement, overseen by a Transitional Presidential Council. The council will exercise specified presidential authorities during the transition, operating by majority vote, and has committed to swiftly select and appoint an interim Prime Minister. CARICOM Chairman Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, said that the way forward that was agreed upon was in the best interest of the people of Haiti.

Since February 29, gangs have launched a series of attacks across the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince. Since then, they have burned police stations, closed the main international airports, and raided the country’s two biggest prisons, releasing more than 4,000 inmates. Dozens have been killed in the uprising and more than fifteen hundred people have been displaced from their hopes. A spokesperson for the gangs had warned that if Henry did not resign, they would enact violence to the point of genocide in Haiti.