Haiti gangs threaten civil war as PM Ariel Henry faces pressure to quit
- US pushes Haiti PM to speed transition after Group of Caribbean countries asks for his resignation
- Gangs who control swathes of the country and are trying to oust Ariel Henry have threatened civil war
Haiti Prime Minister Ariel Henry is being pressured to quit or present a plan for a new government, as gang leaders who have unleashed deadly violence tighten their grip on the country and threaten civil war.
The US State Department wants Henry – who has been absent from Haiti as it has descended into lawlessness – to accelerate the timeline for elections and fulfil a pledge he has been dodging since taking over in 2021.
The Caribbean Community, which includes 15 nations, explicitly asked him to resign on Tuesday and make way for a new administration.
Also on Tuesday, gang leader Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier said Henry’s potential return to Haiti would unleash a “civil war” and “genocide,” according to the Le Nouvelliste newspaper.
Over the last few days, gangs including Cherizier’s have freed more than 4,500 inmates, attacked the main international airport and burned police stations. Half the nation’s population is going hungry.
