© Reuters. Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry speaks while addressing the nation, at an unidentified location on a date given as March 11, 2024, in this screengrab obtained from a handout video. Prime Minister of the Republic of Haiti via X/Handout via REUTERS
PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) -Uncertainty hung over Haiti’s political future on Tuesday after its prime minister said he would step down, a move welcomed by some Haitians frustrated by months of gang violence, but made without a clear path to stability yet in place.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry, stranded in Puerto Rico, released a recorded video late on Monday night pledging to resign as soon as a transition council and temporary leader could be chosen.
But it was not clear when this might happen. Security conditions in capital Port-au-Prince remain dire, with armed men controlling the airport and key infrastructure, while doubts still linger over the timing of plans to deploy an international mission to boost outgunned local police and restore order.
Early on Tuesday, helicopters landed at the Karibe Hotel, which is used by international visitors, including the UN, and from where a source told Reuters that people were being evacuated. The identity of those being evacuated could not immediately be established.
Henry, who had led the Caribbean country since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021, traveled to Kenya in late February to secure its support for the long-delayed United Nations-backed security mission.
While Kenyan leaders have recently said its police officers will soon be deployed to Haiti, worsening violence and uncertainty about the mission’s financing have cast doubt on its prospects.
The 74-year-old Henry, who was appointed as prime minister by Moise before his death but was himself unelected, had repeatedly postponed elections, arguing that security should first be restored.
Haitians had protested his continued rule and Washington had called on Henry to accelerate a transition to a structure that would pave the way for free and fair elections.
“The government that I am leading will resign immediately after the installation of (a transition) council,” Henry said in the late night video. “I’m asking all Haitians to remain calm and do everything they can for peace and stability to come back as fast as possible.”
Following his announcement, some Haitians celebrated in the streets of the capital, with people dancing to music in a party atmosphere and setting off fireworks, according to videos shared on social media.
Some prominent Haitians also expressed hope that conditions can now improve.
“God is great,” wrote Haitian musician Wyclef Jean in a post on X. “Now I pray for the people of Haiti, let’s show the world that we can take destiny into our own hands.”
The planned presidential transition council, announced after high-level meetings of Caribbean leaders in Jamaica on Monday, is aimed at representing diverse sectors of Haitian society.
It will be tasked with appointing an interim prime minister and establishing a provisional electoral council to facilitate elections, which would be Haiti’s first since 2016.
The council will include a religious leader, a civil society representative, and members from various political and business sectors, but specific appointments have not yet been made.
The timeline for the council’s formation and subsequent elections is also contingent on establishing security in the country.
Heavily armed gangs dramatically expanded their wealth, influence and territorial control during Henry’s chaotic administration.
Haiti, a former French colony with a long history of political instability, declared a state of emergency earlier this month as clashes led to two mass prison breaks, with the country’s most powerful gang leader, Jimmy “Barbeque” Cherizier, threatening to overthrow Henry.
