Haitian expatriates reassured by the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry

Cut off from the world and faced with a wave of violence perpetrated by gangs, Haiti’s expatriate population welcomes the departure of the Prime Minister, announced Monday.

“The Council of Ministers agreed to set up a Presidential Transitional Council. The government that I lead will step down immediately after the establishment of the said Council.” In a video address broadcast Monday March 11, Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced that he would leave his post, three years after arriving at the head of government. A departure under pressure from several armed gangs, who threatened to set the country ablaze if he remained in power.

“He didn’t do anything for us. People are dying and he didn’t listen to anyone, denounces Yanika, a Haitian trader met in the Dominican Republic. There are no roads, no water, no lighting, nothing to eat. Ariel Henry is a thief, the United States must take him home.” At the suggestion of the United States, the resigning Prime Minister has been in Puerto Rico since Monday, where he claims to continue to manage current affairs.

“The people are suffering a lot”

“I am very, very, very happy, in turn greets Jean, who has arrived from the city of Gonaïves and is leaving for the United States. With him, there was no hope that France, Canada, the United States would really become aware of the situation that Haitians are experiencing now. The people are suffering a lot. It’s a new start.” A new beginning which must go through a Transition Council. The announcement was made by the Caribbean Community (Caricom) on Monday, during an emergency meeting in Jamaica with representatives from the UN, the United States and France in particular.

This Council will be composed of representatives of several political forces in the country according to the President of Guyana. Its mission will be to organize general elections in a country which has not known one since 2016. The country no longer has a president or a parliament since the assassination of Jovenel Moïse in July 2021. The reestablishment of a Political order will involve a recovery in control of the country, largely occupied by several gangs, which notably hold the international airport and the port of Port-au-Prince.

The principle of sending a multinational police force led by Kenya was validated by the UN in October 2023.Given the current state of the country, un a little reinforcement can be something positive, estimates Samuel, originally from the Haitian Cape. Recently, more than 3,000 prisoners have escaped. I think the Haitian National Police does not have enough manpower to fight these people.” Kenya, however, decided to suspend the sending of police officers following the announcement of the Prime Minister’s resignation. The United States reacted, saying “confident” on the continuation of the mission, once the transitional government is formed.