Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henri has agreed to resign and make way for a transitional government, Guyana's president and a US official said after a regional meeting on the gang insurgency that has plunged Haiti into chaos.
Henri, an unelected leader who took power shortly before the assassination of Haiti's president in 2021, has been under intense pressure from countries including the US to concede to some kind of new power arrangement, as the already poor and an unstable country descended into even greater chaos.
It currently has no president or parliament and has not held elections since 2016. Last week, the gangs that control much of the country rioted and demanded Henri's resignation, attacking the capital Port-au-Prince's airport, the presidential palace and other key structures.
"We are pleased to announce a commitment to a transitional governance arrangement that paves the way for a peaceful transfer of power," said Irfan Ali, president of Guyana, which now chairs the regional body called CARICOM.
"To this end, we confirm the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henri," Ali said at a press conference.
A US official also said Henry confirmed his resignation in a telephone conversation with Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who is in Jamaica for the emergency meeting.
CARICOM called the crisis meeting in Jamaica after armed gangs that now control much of Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince began a campaign of violence.
A month-long state of emergency has been imposed in and around Port-au-Prince and a nighttime curfew has been extended until Thursday, although overstretched police are unlikely to be able to enforce it.
During the meeting, CARICOM leaders consulted virtually with Henri and other Haitians.
Blinken pledged another $100 million to support international stabilization forces, bringing the total amount pledged by the US to $300 million since the crisis intensified a few years ago.
Blinken also offered another $33 million for immediate humanitarian aid.
President Joe Biden ruled out sending troops to Haiti, which the United States occupied for nearly two decades a century ago and where it has intervened ever since.
Canada was initially eyed, but it too decided that the mission in Haiti was too dangerous and its success uncertain.
However, Canada offered $91 million to Haiti, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged continued support in a remote address to the summit in Kingston. /BGNES
