Absent Haitian leader lands in Puerto Rico
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — It’s the one question on the minds of all Haitians ever since armed gangs plunged the long-suffering Caribbean nation into near anarchy: Where in the world is Prime Minister Ariel Henry?
The embattled leader, who assumed power following the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, has been notably absent since the country’s latest and most serious outbreak of violence started last week. Henry has stayed silent as he crisscrosses the world, from South America to Africa, with no announced date of return.
Meanwhile, armed groups have seized on the power void. They tried to take control of Haiti’s main international airport on Monday and exchanged gunfire with police and soldiers. The explosion of violence also included a mass escape from the country’s two biggest prisons.
Even a decree declaring a state of emergency and curfew to restore order lacked Henry’s imprint. It was signed by his finance minister, who is serving as acting prime minister.
“It’s the million-dollar question,” said Jake Johnston, a research associate at the Washington-based Center for Economic and Policy Research. “Nobody knows where he is or when he’ll return. The fact that he hasn’t even opened his mouth since the violence began has stoked all sorts of speculation.”
By Tuesday afternoon, the mystery seemed to ease after officials said Henry landed in Puerto Rico on his way back to Haiti.
Gangs opened fired on police late Monday outside the Toussaint Louverture International Airport in the Haitian capital of Port-au-prince, where Henry would likely land.
An armored truck could be seen on the tarmac shooting at gangs trying to enter the airport as scores of employees fled. The airport remained closed Tuesday. Schools and banks were also closed Tuesday, and public transport ground to a standstill.
“Haiti is now under the control of the gangs. The government isn’t present,” said Michel St-louis, 40, standing in front of a burned-down police station in the capital.
While Haiti’s problems run deep, Henry himself is increasingly unpopular. His inability to govern effectively has stoked calls for him to step aside that the gangs are also embracing, Johnston said.
Henry left Haiti more than a week ago to attend a meeting of Caribbean leaders in Guyana, where a deadline was announced to delay repeatedly postponed elections yet again.
That announcement is what appears to have triggered the latest explosion of violence. It began with a direct challenge from a powerful gang leader, Jimmy Chérizier, a former elite police officer known as Barbecue who fashions himself as a Robin Hood crusader. Chérizier said he would target government ministers in an effort to prevent Henry’s return and force his resignation.
“With our guns and with the Haitian people, we will free the country,” he said in a video message announcing the offensive.
He appeared to make good on that threat over the next few days as gangs launched attacks on the central bank, the airport, even the national soccer stadium.