Haiti interim council, prime minister sworn in
Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigns amid surging gang violence
What happened
A nine-member transitional council was sworn in to govern Haiti on Thursday following the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry. The council includes representatives of political parties, civil society and the private sector. Henry, blocked from returning to Haiti by armed gangs that control much of the country, signed his resignation letter in Los Angeles on Wednesday. His outgoing Cabinet appointed Finance Minister Michel Patrick Boisvert as interim prime minister.
Who said what
"We have served the nation in difficult times," Henry said in his resignation letter. Haiti's "multidimensional political crisis" has "lasted too long," Boisvert said. Today "opens the prospect of a solution."
The commentary
Haiti's gangs, which continue "looting houses, kidnapping civilians, raping women and killing people at random," say they intend to "disrupt the current political process," The New York Times said. But the council's seating should "clear the way for the arrival of a multinational police force led by Kenya."
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What next?
The transitional council's nonrenewable mandate expires Feb. 7, 2026, by which point a new president must be elected and sworn in.
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