Haitian PM tenders resignation after Jamaica talks
Ariel Henry, Haiti’s unelected prime minister since the 2021 assassination of the last president, announced he will step down after a transition council and a temporary replacement are appointed. Under his administration, armed gangs expanded their wealth, influence, and territory, leading Henry to seek support from Kenya for a UN-backed security mission. His trip coincided with an escalation in conflict, leaving him stranded in Puerto Rico. Henry’s resignation was decided on Friday, and he will be replaced by a presidential council consisting of two observers and seven voting members from various sectors. Haiti has been without elected representatives since early 2023, and the next elections will be the first since 2016. The U.S. has pledged an additional 0 million to the international force to help fight gangs in Haiti, bringing its total pledge to 0 million. Gang violence has led to a humanitarian crisis, with over 362,000 people internally displaced and thousands killed since 2021. Gang leader Jimmy “Barbeque” Cherizier has called for a “bloody revolution” and criticized the current system as an apartheid system.