The US has called for “urgent” movement toward a political transition in Haiti, as gangs run amok in the nation’s capital and opposition groups demand Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s resignation.
Henry landed in the US territory of Puerto Rico on Tuesday after days of speculation about his whereabouts. He had been in Kenya last week to sign an agreement securing a Kenyan-led multinational mission to restore security in the Caribbean nation; the Miami Herald reported on Wednesday that Henry then traveled to Washington for talks about Haiti’s political future.
According to the Herald, Henry had planned to return to Haiti via the Dominican Republic, but was diverted to Puerto Rico after the Dominican government changed its mind. US officials had called Henry mid-flight in an effort to persuade him to step aside in favor of a transitional administration, the report said.
Asked on Wednesday if the US had asked Henry to resign, US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said: “What we’ve asked (Henry) to do is move forward on a political process that will lead to establishment of a presidential transitional council that will lead to elections.”
US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the US “is not calling on (Henry) or pushing for him to resign” but added that “we are urging him to expedite the transition to an empowered and inclusive governance structure” to prepare for the multinational security mission and eventually for elections.
Since Henry’s trip to Kenya, the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince has been gripped by a wave of highly coordinated gang attacks on law enforcement and state institutions. Armed groups have burned down police stations and released thousands of inmates from two prisons, in what one gang leader, Jimmy Cherizier, described as an attempt to overthrow Henry’s government.
Cherizier has taken credit for the attacks and warned of even more dire consequences if the international community “continues to support Henry.”
“If Ariel Henry doesn’t step down, if the international community continues to support Ariel Henry, they will lead us directly into a civil war that will end in genocide,” Cherizier told Reuters in Port-au-Prince on Tuesday.
“The international community, especially the United States, Canada, France, and the Core Group will be responsible for all the people who die in Haiti.”
The US is making preparations for the potential for mass migration from Haiti, over concerns that many people could flee as the situation worsens, the Department of Homeland Security official said.
The official also said that the US Secret Service assisted in providing Henry with security protection while he was in Puerto Rico, pointing out that it is standard procedure for a foreign leader in the United States.
The UN Security Council is due to hold a meeting on Haiti later on Wednesday. Ahead of the meeting, the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urged the international community to “act swiftly and decisively to prevent Haiti’s further descent into chaos.”
“This situation is beyond untenable for the people of Haiti,” he said. “We are simply running out of time.”
This is a developing story.