Haiti’s President Resigns Amidst National Security Crisis  

Haitian President, Ariel Henry, has resigned amid mounting chaos in the nation. Over the last few weeks, gangs have been attacking government structures, leaving the country on the brink of collapse. President Henry took over as acting-president in 2021, following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise. Last week, gang leader Jimmy Cheriezer, also known as “Barbecue”, launched a coordinated attack against President Henry, threatening civil war and genocide if he did not step down. The violence erupted while Henry was in Kenya signing an agreement to deploy one thousand police officers to Haiti to restore citizen security. He was forced to land in Puerto Rico following that trip. And, over the weekend, CARICOM members held an emergency high-level meeting in Jamaica, with North American and European leaders to discuss immediate mitigation measures for Haiti. Coming out of that meeting, Doctor Mohamed Irfaan Ali, the President of Guyana and Chair of CARICOM, announced Henry’s resignation and the establishment of a Transitional Presidential Council in Haiti.

 

Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of Guyana

“We are pleased to announce the commitment to a transitional government arrangement which paves the way for a peaceful transition of power, continuity of governance and action plan for near term security and the road to free and fair elections. It further seeks to assure that Haiti will be governed by the rule of law. This commitment reflects hard compromises among a diverse coalition of actors who have put their country above all differences. To that end, we acknowledge the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry upon the establishment of Transitional Presidential Council and the naming of an interim-prime minister. I want to pause and thank Prime Minister Henry for his service to Haiti, his service to the Haitian people and for his personal commitment for the furtherance of the development of Haiti and the advancement of the development of Haiti and I asked us to give him an applause.”