Haiti: Prime Minister Ariel Henry Resigns

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Facts

• The day before the council selected a new prime minister and the cabinet was to be sworn in, Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry signed a resignation letter on Wednesday from Los Angeles, California.¹
• Henry wrote that his government 'served the nation in difficult times,' adding that he 'sympathize[s] with the losses and suffering endured by our compatriots during this period.' In a separate text, he said he was resigning for 'personal reasons.'²
• The council, whose formation was announced a month ago, is tasked with appointing a new government to deal with the island nation's growing gang violence, which killed or injured over 2.5K people between January and March.³
• The council consists of nine members, seven of whom will have voting power alongside two observers. The group includes representatives of the island nation's political parties and civil society groups.⁴
• The council will conduct its initiative with the help of interim Pres. Michael Patrick Boisvert, who served as the country's Director of Tax Inspection from 2010–2018 before assuming the role of Minister of Economy and Finance in 2020.⁵
• The council's non-renewable commission reportedly expires on Feb. 7, 2026, after which a new president is expected to be sworn into office.¹

Sources: ¹Jamaica Observer, ²Dw.Com, ³FOX News, ⁴wsj.com and ⁵NBC.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by United States Institute of Peace. This council is a very important first step toward peace in Haiti, particularly due to its inclusion of diverse public representation and outside observers. Hopefully, it will lead to broader, security-focused councils under the president that include leaders from agriculture, education, health, and other industries. The more representative Haiti's government is, the less likely it will be to fall into the hands of gangs and bad actors and align with the rules-based order.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Intercept. For the Haitian people, this supposed transition council will be yet another feeling of déjà vu. The US, through its international proxy, the UN, has been forcing its preferred leaders on the Caribbean island nation for the past 20 years. These pseudo-democratic initiatives have led to dictators, assassinations, and coups every time, and the West seems determined to do it again. Haiti could find peace if its people were released from this US stranglehold.

Predictions