- The main international airport in Haiti has been closed by gang attacks, which have also released over 4,000 prisoners, making it difficult for Prime Minister Ariel Henry to maintain his position of authority. Since the nation’s most recent and severe violent outbreak began the previous week, Henry has been missing, leaving a power vacuum that armed groups have taken advantage of. Henry was still in Puerto Rico as of Wednesday noon. Dominican Republic authorities had blocked their airspace to aircraft traveling to and from Haiti, thus Henry was unable to land there.
- Since taking office as prime minister with the support of the world community, Henry has been subject to calls for resignation. Gangs fighting for political dominance and Haitians furious that there haven’t been general elections in almost ten years are among those calling for his resignation. They further point out that Henry does not represent the people and was never elected.
- Since the establishment of the nation’s constitution in 1987, Henry has held the position for the longest consecutive term of any prime minister in Haiti. He was essentially installed by the courtroom and was not appointed by any official Haitian system. Elections cannot be held until it is safe to do so, as he has stated on several occasions. He also expressed a desire for harmony and communication. He declared the official appointment of a transition council in February 2023 to be a “significant step” toward the aim of guaranteeing the holding of general elections. However, as the number of gang-related murders and kidnappings rises nationwide, elections have been postponed many times. More than 8,400 deaths, injuries, or kidnappings were recorded in 2018—more than twice as many as in 2022.
- Henry departed Haiti this month to go to a four-day meeting hosted by the Caricom regional trade organization in Guyana, South America. Leaders in the Caribbean claimed that although Henry remained silent, he made a commitment to hold elections by the middle of 2025. Coordinated gang attacks started in Haiti’s capital and other areas a day later.
- Then, last week, Henry left Guyana for Kenya in order to meet with President William Ruto and advocate for the deployment of a Kenyan police force, which has been supported by the United Nations but has been declared unlawful by an East African court. Henry was supposed to return to Haiti after the trip to Kenya, but officials never specified when. His whereabouts remained a mystery for a few days until he abruptly touched down in Puerto Rico on Tuesday to the astonishment of many.
- Caribbean leaders visited with Henry late on Tuesday and offered him choices, including resignation, which he turned down, according to a regional official who was not allowed to discuss the specifics of the conversation and spoke under anonymity. Henry reportedly informed authorities that his intention is to go back to Haiti, according to the prime minister of Grenada.
- Later on Wednesday, the U.N. Security Council was scheduled to convene in emergency session to discuss Haiti and Henry’s problems. The United States and its allies are requesting concessions from Henry, according to U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller ahead of that meeting. “So, we are not calling on him or pushing him to resign, but we are urging him to expedite the transition to an empowered and inclusive governance structure,” Miller stated.
Source:
The Associated Press
