KINGSTON: Haiti's prime minister, Ariel Henry, will step down once a transition council and temporary replacement have been appointed, he said on Monday, after leading the Caribbean country since the 2021 assassination of its last president.
Armed gangs massively grew their wealth, influence and territory under his administration, prompting Henry to travel to Kenya in late February to secure its support for a United Nations-backed security mission to help police.
However, the conflict dramatically escalated in his absence and left the 74-year-old neurosurgeon stranded in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico while regional leaders called for a swift transition.
"The government that I am leading will resign immediately after the installation of (a transition) council," Henry said in a late night video address. "I want to thank the Haitian people for the opportunity I had been granted."
"I'm asking all Haitians to remain calm and do everything they can for peace and stability to come back as fast as possible," he added.
Henry is set to be replaced by a presidential council that will have two observers and seven voting members, including representatives from a number of political coalitions, the business sector, civil society and one religious leader.
Regional leaders met on Monday in nearby Jamaica to discuss the framework for a political transition, which the U.S. had urged last week to be "expedited" as armed gangs sought to topple his government.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had earlier Monday said the council would be tasked with meeting the "immediate needs" of Haitians, enabling the security mission's deployment and creating security conditions necessary for free elections.
Haiti declared a state of emergency early this month as clashes damaged communications and led to two prison breaks after Jimmy "Barbeque" Cherizier, a leader of an alliance of armed groups, said they would unite and overthrow Henry.
Henry's resignation comes alongside regional talks over participation in an international force, which he had requested to help police fight the gangs, whose brutal turf wars have fueled a humanitarian crisis, cut off food supplies and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said earlier Monday the United States would contribute an additional $100 million to this force and $33 million in humanitarian aid, bringing the U.S.' total pledge to the force to $300 million. — Reuters
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