Ariel Henry, Haiti's Prime Minister, who was abroad, was still unable to return to his country on the morning of Thursday, March 7. An escalation of violence by gangs controlling most of Port-au-Prince led to the closure of the international airport on Monday. Armed groups say they want to overthrow the prime minister, who has been in power since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021 – and who was due to step down on February 7. Jimmy Chérizier, also known as "Barbecue," head of the G9, one of the two main gang coalitions, warned on Tuesday that if Henry did not resign, the country would "be heading straight for a civil war that will lead to genocide." On Wednesday, the US called on the prime minister to "accelerate the transition" to a new "governance structure" and to organize "free and fair" elections.
Romain Le Cour Grandmaison, PhD in political science and researcher with the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime, left Port-au-Prince on Sunday, March 3. He reviewed the reasons behind this new crisis.
It dates beyond last week. The year 2023 was marked by gang violence. The UN recorded over 4,789 people murdered and 2,490 officially kidnapped, with a homicide rate of 40.9 per 100,000 inhabitants, more than double that of 2022. More recently, in December, Guy Philippe [a former paramilitary leader who took part in the overthrow of Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 2004 and served a prison sentence in the USA for drug trafficking] returned home. When he arrived in Haiti, he said he wanted to topple the current government and wage a "peaceful revolution." He launched a series of demonstrations across the country, enjoying a degree of popular support, but failed to organize any real protests in Port-au-Prince on February 7. This immense tension subsided, and the prime minister stayed on. Life resumed after that great anxiety.
On February 28, as he was leaving the Caribbean Community (Caricom) summit in Guyana, Henry announced that elections would be held in August 2025. This came as a shock in Haiti. The country has not held elections for seven years. Henry was not elected [he has been acting as interim president since the assassination of President Moïse]. For years, the political opposition has been calling for a transitional council and for him to step down before any political negotiations can take place. Not to mention the gangs which, depending on the period, act as spokespersons for this call for resignation.
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