After prime minister pledges to step down, uneasy quiet in Haiti capital

[March 13, 2024]  By Harold Isaac

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 many Haitians exhausted by months of escalating gang violence, but with questions over security still not settled.

Prime Minister Ariel Henry, stranded in Puerto Rico, released a video late on Monday night pledging to resign as soon as a transition council and temporary leader were chosen.

U.S. officials said on Tuesday that members of the council should be appointed by Wednesday or Thursday, after talks this week in Jamaica between Caribbean leaders and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who flew in to attend while pledging an additional $133 million in Haitian security and humanitarian aid.

Michel Boisvert, Haiti's acting prime minister while Henry was abroad, has signaled willingness to facilitate an orderly transition, a U.S. State Department official said.

There were signs in the capital, Port-au-Prince, of an improvement in the security situation on Tuesday, with the streets quiet and no attacks on government offices or police stations reported.

The main CPS cargo port had reopened, local news outlet Le Nouvelliste reported. The capital's airport has not resumed operations, but armed men who had taken control of it were no longer present.

Meanwhile, some fuel from the Varreux facility near the port had been allowed out.

However, Radio Television Caraibes, one of Haiti's oldest and largest TV stations, said it had to leave its headquarters in central Port-au-Prince, citing the insecurity.

In another potential setback, a senior Kenyan diplomatic official told Reuters that plans to deploy its police officers to Haiti to lead a U.N.-backed security mission were on pause pending "a clear indication" that a new interim government was in place.

The long-delayed mission is intended to boost outgunned local police and restore order in Haiti, the Western Hemisphere's poorest nation.

Earlier on Tuesday, helicopters landed at the Karibe Hotel, which is used by international visitors, including from the United Nations, and from where a source told Reuters that people were being evacuated. The identity of those being evacuated could not immediately be established.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the international body was "considering reducing the footprint of non-essential personnel" but that it was not exiting Haiti.

'PRAY FOR THE PEOPLE'

A prominent neurosurgeon, the bearded and bespectacled Henry had led the Caribbean country since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021. In late February, he traveled to Kenya to secure its support for the security mission.

Henry, 74, was appointed prime minister by Moise just before the late president was gunned down in his Port-au-Prince residence. But Henry was never elected and had repeatedly postponed elections, arguing that security should first be restored.

Many Haitians angrily protested his continued rule and Washington had called on Henry to accelerate plans for free and fair elections.

"The government that I'm leading will resign immediately after the installation of (a transition) council," Henry said in the Monday 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."

Street vendors carry goods for sale as they walk near the Presidential Palace after Haiti's Prime Minister Ariel Henry pledged to step down following months of escalating gang violence, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti March 12, 2024. REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol

After his announcement, some Haitians celebrated, dancing in the streets of the capital while setting off fireworks, according to videos shared on social media.

Some prominent Haitians also expressed hope that conditions can now improve.

"God is great," Haitian musician Wyclef Jean wrote 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."

JAMAICA TALKS

The talks in Jamaica on Monday stretched across more than seven hours and involved nearly 40 Haitian stakeholders, and culminated when Blinken struck a deal with regional body CARICOM on the makeup of the transitional council, according to a U.S. State Department official.

The council is set to include a religious leader, a civil society representative, and members from various political and business sectors, but specific appointments have not yet been made.

A U.S. official said the Haitian factions have 24 hours to inform CARICOM who will represent them on the council.

The council 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 and will most likely be contingent on an improvement in the security situation.

Heavily armed gangs dramatically expanded their wealth, influence and territorial control during Henry's time in office.

Their turf wars have fueled a humanitarian crisis that has seen more than 360,000 internally displaced, while many areas have lost access to medical services and food.

"Haiti is experiencing one of the most serious food crises in the world; 1.4 million Haitians are a step away from famine. This crisis has gone largely unanswered," said the World Food Programme's Haiti director, Jean-Martin Bauer.

Haiti declared a state of emergency 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.

As the planned security mission remains in limbo, Earl Huntley, a retired former CARICOM ambassador to Haiti who served during the U.N.'s much-criticized MINUSTAH mission to the country, said even if it does get on the ground it will face significant challenges such as heavy weaponry and gang members blending in with the urban population.

"Operationally I don't know how it is going to happen," Huntley said. "The question now is what will the gangs do now that Ariel (Henry) has gone."

(Reporting by Harold Isaac and Steven Aristil in Port-au-Prince, Robertson S. Henry in Kingstown, Daphne Psaledakis, Humeyra Pamuk and Simon Lewis in Washington and Sarah Morland in Mexico City; Additional reporting by Ricardo Arduengo in San Juan, Michelle Nichols at the United Nations, Aaron Ross in Nairobi and Natalia Siniawski in Gdansk; Writing by David Alire Garcia; Editing by Angus MacSwan, Rosalba O'Brien and Gerry Doyle)

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