The council will temporarily assume the duties of the president, a position that has been vacant since the pending assassination of President Jouvenel Moïse in 2021. The new transition council will be comprised of seven voting members representing seven sectors of Haitian society, including Henry's political party. The organization will also include two non-voting members from civil society and the interfaith community, a statement from the CARICOM regional bloc said.
U.S. officials say the goal is to name a replacement prime minister as soon as possible. But it is unclear how quickly a transitional government will be formed and whether the new leadership will be able to quell the gangs that control an estimated 80% of the country's capital.
For more than a week, powerful Haitian gangs have terrorized Port-au-Prince, attacking the airport, seaport, government buildings and at least a dozen police stations in the city. As the crisis worsened, the United States airlifted embassy staff out of the country this week. Henry was unable to return to his home country because the airport was closed and the neighboring Dominican Republic refused to allow the prime minister to land.
The leader of Haiti's most powerful gang, former police officer Jimmy Chéridier, also known as “Barbeque,” threatened civil war if Henry did not step down. On Monday, before announcing Henry's resignation, Chéridier said his gang alliance would also not accept the new presidential council and threatened to attack hotels where “traditional politicians” usually stay. He said the new government should be chosen by a coalition of gangsters and “the Haitian people.”
“If the international community continues on this path, it will throw Haiti into chaos by electing a few traditional politicians and sitting in hotels negotiating who will be president and what the model of government will be. Deaf,” Chéridier said. “We are having a bloody revolution in this country.”
The United States initially supported Henry remaining in power to help establish the council, but Henry had shown reluctance to cede power in recent weeks. Washington urged him to reverse course and resign to make way for a transitional council and a new prime minister.
“The government I lead cannot remain indifferent to this situation,” Henry said in a video address Monday night from Puerto Rico, where he is staying. “Haiti needs peace, stability, sustainable development, and the rebuilding of its democratic institutions.”
A senior administration official said Mr. Blinken spent much of Monday's meeting in Jamaica considering who exactly would join the transitional council, at one point huddled with other leaders in a corner and holding a piece of paper. He reportedly wrote down his name. Conditions of anonymity to discuss sensitive negotiations.
The official said it became clear throughout Monday that Mr. Henry had overwhelmingly broad international support for him to step down.
“Through these conversations, a credible agreement is on the table that reflects what we feel is the will of the Haitian people and reflects a broad coalition of ideas and people across the spectrum of democracy. It has become clear that there is.” the official said.
According to the CARICOM Agreement, the Council will exclude individuals who have been indicted, subject to UN sanctions, or convicted of a crime. Opponents of the UN-backed Kenya-led security mission to Haiti will also be barred from participating.
U.S. officials said the deployment of security forces remains a work in progress and the exact details of U.S. assistance are still being discussed. The State Department is still vetting all Kenyan police forces sent to Haiti to see if they are involved in human rights abuses, which would result in their exclusion from U.S. aid. A “significant portion” of Kenya's military has already been scrutinized, the official said.
At Monday's meeting, Blinken announced that the United States would contribute an additional $100 million to the force, bringing total U.S. assistance to $300 million. This sum will fund the equipment, training, and logistics of troops sent to Haiti, but is intended to expand the U.S. security presence on the ground in the country beyond the forces already stationed there to protect the country. No, officials said. US Embassy in Port-au-Prince.
Claude Joseph, a Haitian political leader and former interim prime minister who participated in Monday's discussion, said he believes the transitional council should be able to govern before the deployment of Kenyan-led security forces.
A fierce critic of Henry, he advocated a shift toward “reconciliation” rather than revenge. He encouraged Henry to return to Haiti if he wished.
He said the council is inclusive, representing diverse groups and political ideologies. However, another representative who took part in the CARICOM discussion said the proposal had made many participants nervous.
“The seven-member council is too unwieldy to make decisions,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive issues. “It is not in the best interest of the country to rush this process.”
Caribbean diplomat and Ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda to the United States Ronald Sanders said the 24-hour deadline was an attempt to “speed up the process” after weeks of delays in establishing the council.
“They have several weeks to make a decision,” Sanders said. “The time has finally come for you to hand over.”
Haitian historian Georges Michel said that Henri “prolonged things”.
“As our grandparents used to say, what's left behind is dirty,” Michelle says. “This Presidential Council must pacify the country. If it can't do that, it will be overthrown in four months. With seven members, there will be fighting among themselves.”
Ivan Briscoe, director of the International Council for Latin America and the Caribbean, questions whether political parties will be able to put aside their differences and reach an agreement, and what will happen to gangsters and other figures excluded from the council. He said it depends on how he reacts. crisis group.
“It's clear that the gangs at this point have extraordinary power that can undermine any hopes that regional parties or Haitian parties have for a stable government,” Briscoe said.
Mr. Schmidt reported from Bogota, Colombia, Mr. Birnbaum from Washington state, and Mr. Coletta from Toronto.
