New alliances sought in Haiti as gangs take over
Port-au-Prince, Haiti — Haitian politicians started pursuing new alliances Wednesday, seeking a coalition that could lead the country out of the gang violence that has fueled lawlessness, closed the main airport and prevented embattled Prime Minister Ariel Henry from returning home.
Haiti remained largely paralyzed, with schools and businesses still closed amid heavy gunfire blamed on the gangs that control an estimated 80% of the capital, Port-au-Prince, where several bodies lay on empty streets. The country’s two biggest prisons were also raided, resulting in the release of more than 4,000 inmates over the weekend.
Henry faces increasing pressure to resign, which would likely trigger a U.S.-supported transition to a new government.
One new political alliance involves former rebel leader Guy Philippe and ex-presidential candidate and senator Moïse Jean Charles, who told Radio Caraïbes on Wednesday that they signed a deal to form a three-person council to lead Haiti.
Philippe, a key figure in the 2004 rebellion that ousted former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, returned to Haiti in November and has been calling for Henry’s resignation. He spent several years in prison in the U.S. after pleading guilty to a money laundering charge.
Meanwhile, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations was asked Wednesday whether the United States asked Henry to step down.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield replied that the U.S. has asked Henry to “move forward on a political process that will lead to the establishment of a presidential transitional council that will lead to elections.”
American officials believe it’s urgent for Henry to start “the process of bringing normalcy back to the people of Haiti,” she said.
U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller echoed her remarks, saying the United States was not acting unilaterally but rather in consultation with partners in the region.
“And what we are saying to the prime minister is that he needs to expedite the transition to empowered and inclusive governance,” Miller said.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the organization continued to deal with Henry as prime minister, adding that diplomats were “not in the business of encouraging him to resign.”
He said the U.N. chief is urging the government and all parties to set aside their differences and agree on “a common path towards the restoration of democratic institutions.”
Dujarric described the situation in Port-au-Prince as “extremely fragile,” with sporadic attacks forcing the cancellation of all flights in and out of Haiti.
“Health infrastructure is on the brink of collapse,” he said, noting that wounded civilians were overwhelming hospitals and blood products were urgently needed.