Haitian Prime Minister Resigns Amid Social Unrest in Country

MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) - Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry will leave his post amid the state of emergency declared by local authorities due to ongoing unrest in the country, Guyanese President Irfaan Ali said on Tuesday, adding that power in the country will be temporarily held by a transitional presidential council.

"In this regard, we recognize the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry to create a transitional presidential council and appoint an interim prime minister," Ali said during a press conference following international negotiations in Jamaica.

The transitional presidential council will consist of seven members representing various Haitian movements with the right to vote and two non-voting observers, a declaration, drafted by representatives of Haiti, the member states of the Caribbean Community, the United States, Canada, France and Brazil, read. The council will temporarily exercise a number of presidential powers, acting by majority vote.

On February 29, gangs began shooting in downtown Port-au-Prince and at the Haitian capital's international airport in the absence of Henry, who was on a visit to Kenya to seek agreement for the deployment of foreign forces in his country to fight organized crime. The gangs said their goal was to prevent Henry from returning to Haiti. An armed gang stormed Haiti's largest prison and freed an unconfirmed number of inmates. The Haitian government declared a state of emergency in the capital region.

Haiti has long been mired in a social and political crisis that escalated after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise on July 7, 2021. The country has faced an unprecedented increase in the activities of criminal groups, while the humanitarian situation has deteriorated due to a multitude of natural disasters.