Haiti Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced Tuesday morning that he will resign after several weeks of chaos and what could be an unfolding low-scale civil war as gangs fight for control.
Henry said in a statement that he would step down as prime minister immediately after a transitional presidential council is formed and an interim prime minister is named.
"The government that I'm running cannot remain insensitive in this situation. There is no sacrifice that is too big for our country," Henry said in a statement, adding, "The government I'm running will remove itself immediately after the installation of the council."
Hours before this announcement, Caribbean leaders and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met in Jamaica to discuss the security situation in Haiti, including armed gangs raiding two of the country's largest prisons, burning police stations and government buildings, and even attacking the nation's main airport.
Henry finds himself stuck in Puerto Rico this week, unable to return home due to armed gang attacks on Toussaint Louverture International Airport.
He continued by saying, "I want to thank the Haitian people for the opportunity I had been granted. I'm asking all Haitians to remain calm and do everything they can for peace and stability to come back as fast as possible."
Bloomberg pointed out the power struggle unfolding:
With the Prime Minister absent, other forces have started trying to fill the vacuum. One new political alliance involves former policeman Guy Philippe and ex-presidential candidate and senator Moise Jean Charles. Philippe was behind a 2004 coup and spent several years in US prison on money laundering charges.
In addition, Jimmy "Barbecue" Cherizier, a former policeman turned gang leader, warned that if Henry returned it would unleash a "civil war" and "genocide." While gangs have existed in Haiti for decades, they've grown powerful amid government and private-sector complicity. Today, they control about 80% of the capital of Port-au-Prince and large parts of the countryside.
The resignation came just a few days after the US military conducted emergency airlift operations to evacuate non-essential personnel from the US embassy in the country. Also, US Marines were sent to the embassy to beef up security.