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Port-au-Prince: Haitian PM Ariel Henry announced early Tuesday that he would resign once a transitional presidential council is created, bowing to international pressure to save the country overwhelmed by violent gangs that some experts say have unleashed a low-scale civil war.
Henry made the announcement hours after officials including Caribbean leaders and US secretary of state Antony Blinken met in Jamaica to urgently discuss a solution to halt Haiti’s crisis and agreed to a joint proposal to establish a transitional council.
“The govt I’m running cannot remain insensitive in front of this situation. There is no sacrifice too big for our country,” Henry said. “The govt I’m running will remove itself immediately after the installation of the council.”
It wasn’t immediately clear who would be chosen to lead Haiti out of the crisis in which heavily armed gangs have burned police stations, attacked the main airport and raided two of the biggest prisons. The raids resulted in the release of over 4,000 inmates.
Scores of people have been killed, and over 15,000 are homeless after fleeing neighbourhoods raided by gangs. Food and water are dwindling as stands and stores selling to impoverished Haitians run out of goods. The main port in Port-au-Prince remains closed, stranding dozens of containers with critical supplies.
Blinken Monday announced an additional $100 million to finance the deployment of a multinational force to Haiti. He also announced another $33 million in humanitarian aid and creation of a joint proposal agreed on by Caribbean leaders and “all of the Haitian stakeholders to expedite a political transition” and create a “presidential college.”
Meanwhile, Jimmy Cherizier, considered Haiti’s most powerful gang leader, said if the international community continues down the current road, “it will plunge Haiti into further chaos.” He added, “We Haitians have to decide who is going to be the head of the country and what model of govt we want.”
Henry made the announcement hours after officials including Caribbean leaders and US secretary of state Antony Blinken met in Jamaica to urgently discuss a solution to halt Haiti’s crisis and agreed to a joint proposal to establish a transitional council.
“The govt I’m running cannot remain insensitive in front of this situation. There is no sacrifice too big for our country,” Henry said. “The govt I’m running will remove itself immediately after the installation of the council.”
It wasn’t immediately clear who would be chosen to lead Haiti out of the crisis in which heavily armed gangs have burned police stations, attacked the main airport and raided two of the biggest prisons. The raids resulted in the release of over 4,000 inmates.
Scores of people have been killed, and over 15,000 are homeless after fleeing neighbourhoods raided by gangs. Food and water are dwindling as stands and stores selling to impoverished Haitians run out of goods. The main port in Port-au-Prince remains closed, stranding dozens of containers with critical supplies.
Blinken Monday announced an additional $100 million to finance the deployment of a multinational force to Haiti. He also announced another $33 million in humanitarian aid and creation of a joint proposal agreed on by Caribbean leaders and “all of the Haitian stakeholders to expedite a political transition” and create a “presidential college.”
Meanwhile, Jimmy Cherizier, considered Haiti’s most powerful gang leader, said if the international community continues down the current road, “it will plunge Haiti into further chaos.” He added, “We Haitians have to decide who is going to be the head of the country and what model of govt we want.”
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