Haiti leader agrees to exit amid growing chaos
Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced his resignation
What happened
Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced late Monday he will resign after a new interim governing council is inaugurated. Caribbean leaders revealed the transition plan earlier Monday after an emergency meeting in Jamaica that Secretary of State Antony Blinken attended. Henry has been unable to return to Haiti since a trip to Kenya, as violent gangs demanding his resignation attacked the airport and National Palace, tightening their control of the capital.
Who said what
"Haiti needs peace," Henry said in a televised address. "Haiti is on the brink of disaster," and "quick and decisive action" is needed, said Irfaan Ali, the president of Guyana and chair of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), which compiled the transition plan from seven Haitian proposals.
The commentary
"The dream of a Haitian solution to Haitian problems is dying today," said Robert Fatton, a Haiti-born political scientist at the University of Virginia, in the Miami Herald.
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What next?
The hope is that "this deal calms tension in Haiti," but it raises two important questions, said NPR. Will Haiti's fractured political factions accept the CARICOM plan, "and does the promise of a resignation assuage the gangs?"
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