- Henry resigns amid instability
- Security remains unresolved
- International aid and transition delayed
Haiti is beset by uncertainty as it awaits the inauguration of a new government in the wake of Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s resignation.
The decision has been met with approval by the Haitian people, who are weary after months of intensifying gang violence. Even though the security situation in the capital city of Port-au-Prince appeared relatively tranquil on Tuesday, it remains far from resolved.
Late on Monday night, Henry, stranded in Puerto Rico, uploaded a video in which he declared his intention to resign once a transition council and provisional leader were selected.
In the wake of discussions between Caribbean leaders and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Jamaica, US officials have projected that the council’s appointment will occur on Wednesday or Thursday.
A US State Department official stated that Michel Boisvert, who served as Haiti’s interim prime minister while Henry was abroad, has indicated a willingness to facilitate a smooth transition.
Tuesday in the capital, Port-au-Prince, indications of a security improvement were observed, including the absence of reported attacks on government offices or police stations and the tranquillity of the streets.
According to the local news outlet Le Nouvelliste, the primary CPS cargo port had reopened, and petroleum from the Varreux facility near the port had been permitted to leave.
Although the airport of the capital has not recommenced operations, the armed individuals who had previously seized control of it have vanished.
Nevertheless, Radio Television Caraibes, one of Haiti’s largest and oldest television networks, announced that it was forced to vacate its central Port-au-Prince headquarters due to security concerns.
A senior Kenyan diplomatic official informed Reuters that preparations to dispatch Kenyan police officers in charge of a security mission supported by the United Nations to Haiti have been shelved until “a clear indication” that a new interim government has been established.
Long delayed, the mission aims to bolster outgunned local police and restore order in the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.
“NO WAY CAN YOU GO ANYWHERE.”
Even though numerous Port-au-Prince residents resumed their daily activities on Wednesday, including purchasing produce from street vendors and accumulating water in containers, large portions of the capital that are still under gang control remain inaccessible to the public.
However, visible indications of gang activity were scarce, and there were no reports of any recent assaults on critical infrastructure or government offices.
MSC announced that it had halted all shipping calls at Haiti’s principal cargo port terminal, which, according to the company, was “not fully operational” following the looting of containers. It was stated that shipments would be redirected to Caucedo, Dominican Republic.
“The situation has become stranger.” You are incapable of functioning. You are not permitted to move about. “Nowhere can you go,” said 31-year-old Louis Jean Ezechiel, a resident of the hillside Petion-Ville neighbourhood. “All other places in the country are inaccessible.”
Mitch Albom, an American author, stated that he, his spouse, and eight other personnel were evacuated by helicopter from an orphanage in Haiti during the night of Monday with the assistance of Republican legislators.
Haiti has experienced a prolonged period of political instability and poverty. However, since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021, the country has become progressively more lawless as the outgunned police force struggles to uphold order amidst the rise of increasingly powerful and vicious gangs and demonstrations against the unelected Henry.
According to James Boyard, a security expert affiliated with the State University of Haiti, the demand for amnesty for gang leaders from certain sectors in Haiti can be interpreted as a purposeful attempt to elevate the moral acceptability of this notion.
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He stated that the issuance of such an amnesty could absolve the alleged financial supporters of the gangs, who have been subjected to international sanctions.
Haitian immigrants residing in New York expressed apprehension regarding further international intervention and concerns regarding the safety of family members back home, the ability of children to attend school, and the increasing number of educated youths emigrating overseas.
Ricot Dupuy, the director of Radio Soleil, stated that the public was “cautiously optimistic” regarding the plan negotiated with CARICOM in Jamaica but expressed concern that more individuals would abandon the country if the gangs remained uncontrollable.
Thousands have been killed, and more than 360,000 have been internally displaced, according to the United Nations, amid pervasive reports of gang members committing rape, torture, arson, ransom kidnappings and food shortages.
“Haiti has been transformed into hell, and the international community contributed significantly to that,” Dupuy indicated. “In the event of a house fire, you may station as many police officers and firearms as you like, but I will not remain inside a burning house.” I am planning to proceed with a run. “I won’t even mind where I go when I run.”
