Haiti’s premier to resign once transitional council created and interim leader named, official says

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Caribbean leaders said late Monday that they “acknowledge the resignation of Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry” once a transitional presidential council is created and an interim premier named.

The announcement was made by Guyana President Irfaan Ali, who held an urgent meeting earlier Monday in Jamaica with officials including U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and members of Caricom, a regional trade bloc. They met behind closed doors for several hours to discuss how to halt Haiti’s spiraling violence.

Henry did not attend the meeting and could not be immediately reached for comment. A spokesman for the prime minister’s office did not return messages for comment.

Before sharing details of the proposed transitional council, Ali said, “I want to pause and thank Prime Minister Henry for his service to Haiti.”

Earlier on Monday, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the meeting was a work in progress.

“It is clear that Haiti is now at a tipping point,” he said. “We are deeply distressed that it is already too late for too many who have lost far too much at the hands of criminal gangs.”

Henry, who has faced calls to resign or agree to a transitional council, has been locked out of his own country while traveling abroad, due to surging unrest and violence by criminal gangs who have overrun much of Haiti’s capital and closed down its main international airports.

Henry remained in Puerto Rico and was taking steps to return to Haiti once feasible, according to a brief statement from the U.S. territory’s Department of State.ant to pause and thank Prime Minister Henry for his service to Haiti.”