Ariel Henry resigned this Thursday as prime minister of Haiti, clearing the way for a new government to be formed in the Caribbean country, devastated by gang violence that has killed or injured more than 2,500 people between January and March.
Henry presented his resignation in a letter signed in Los Angeles, dated April 24, and published this Thursday by his office, the same day that a council charged with choosing a new prime minister and cabinet for Haiti was sworn in.
The United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (Binuh) valued the installation of the Presidential Transition Council (KPT) as “a new opportunity to advance in the reconstruction of democratic institutions” in the country, which is suffering a serious institutional and violence.
The entity published this Thursday on the social network
Through a swearing-in ceremony for its members at the National Palace and a subsequent event in the Prime Minister’s office, the Primature, in Villa d’Accueil, located in Bourdon, the transitional body in charge of organizing the holding of elections and the formation of a new Government.
The council would be installed more than a month after Caribbean leaders announced its creation following an emergency meeting to address Haiti’s growing crisis. Henry had promised to resign once the council was installed and a new prime minister selected.
Its installation represents the first step on the path to overcoming the crisis that Haiti is suffering, at least at an institutional level, since the violence of armed gangs does not seem to find a stop, while awaiting the arrival of a multinational mission authorized by the United Nations. to pacify the country.
Henry is replaced in office, on an interim basis, by Michel Patrick Boisvert, appointed in a decree also made public this Thursday, pending the appointment of a new Prime Minister by the Transitional Presidential Council.
The council’s non-renewable term expires on February 7, 2026, when a new president is scheduled to be sworn in.
The gangs launched coordinated attacks beginning on February 29 in Port-au-Prince, the country’s capital, and surrounding areas, burning police stations and hospitals, opening fire on the main international airport, which has been closed since March, and storming the two largest prisons in Haiti, releasing more than 4,000 prisoners. Gangs have also blocked passage to the country’s largest port.
The attack began when Henri was in Kenya, on an official visit to request the deployment of a UN-backed police force from that East African country. Henri is currently prohibited from returning to Haiti.
“Port-au-Prince is currently almost completely isolated due to air, sea and land blockades,” UNICEF Director Catherine Russell said earlier this week.
The international community has urged the council to prioritize widespread insecurity in Haiti. Even before the attacks began, the gangs already controlled 80% of Port-au-Prince. The number of people killed in early 2024 increased by more than 50% compared to the same period last year, according to a recent UN report.
“It is impossible to overestimate the increase in gang activity throughout Port-au-Prince and beyond, the deteriorating human rights situation and the deepening humanitarian crisis,” UN special envoy María Isabel Salvador said Monday. for Haiti, in a meeting of the organization’s Security Council. Source: Infobae
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2024-04-26 04:08:02