(Georgetown) Caribbean leaders met with Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry on Sunday to address his country’s continuing gang violence, with one senior official noting that his continued presence as head of government remains a major obstacle to progress.
Bahamian Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell told the Associated Press (AP) that opposition leaders and other groups in Haiti oppose Mr. Henry as prime minister, even as the Regional trading bloc, known as the Caribbean Community, or CARICOM, continues to try to help change the country’s situation.
Mr. Mitchell said the international community also questions how the country would function if Haiti’s prime minister resigns or is impeached, adding that “there has to be a political solution.”
In brief comments to the AP, Mr. Henry argued that calls for his impeachment are a power grab and that nothing will happen “unless we work together.”
Earlier this month, demonstrators across Haiti staged protests that turned violent when they demanded Mr. Henry’s resignation.
Mr. Mitchell spoke to the AP after meeting Mr. Henry and other Caribbean leaders behind closed doors in Guyana ahead of a four-day CARICOM summit in the South American country. Officials, including U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian A. Nichols, are expected to attend the event.
Mr Mitchell said Caribbean leaders were due to meet Mrme Thomas-Greenfield Monday morning.
“Haiti is the only subject. Nothing else, actually,” he said.
In a statement released on Sunday, the Haitian government said Henry would attend the CARICOM summit, which will host discussions on the participation of Caribbean countries to help strengthen the UN-backed deployment of Kenyan police officers to help fight against gang violence.
Countries including Jamaica, the Bahamas, Belize, Burundi, Chad and Senegal have announced plans to send forces.
After the CARICOM summit, officials said Mr. Henry was expected to travel to Nairobi, Kenya, to “finalize the modalities” of the deployment, which was halted by a court order.
Mr. Mitchell said the international community had pledged more than $100 million for the Haiti mission, while the United States pledged another $200 million, adding that the political situation remained problematic.
US and UN authorities clarified in a recent statement that Mr.me Thomas-Greenfield will “continue to rally global support” at the summit, and “reiterate the urgency of establishing a credible and inclusive path to elections to enable a return to democratic order for the Haitian people.”