The arduous journey home and pressure to resign of the Haitian Prime Minister

The dramatic journey back

Prime Minister Henry’s return home has been a dramatic one. After visiting Kenya last week, he secretly flew from Nairobi to the US state of New Jersey over the weekend to negotiate his return home with diplomats from the neighbouring Dominican Republic.

Dominican officials initially discussed flying Henry, 74, to the capital Santo Domingo before taking a helicopter across the border to return home — a plan that was communicated to U.S. and U.N. officials. Specifically, his team would use a helicopter with night vision for the mission. And it would be a private plane, a 13-seat Gulfstream.

Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry (left) speaks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in September 2023 about Haiti's security. Photo: Office of the Prime Minister of Haiti

However, the mission was not completed and was canceled halfway, because the gangs in Haiti were now increasing riots and especially controlling the main airport in the capital Port-au-Prince, making his return journey on the Gulfstream difficult to carry out.

Even as Henry and his delegation were leaving New Jersey on Tuesday, another unplanned situation soon arose when the Dominican Republic unexpectedly refused to allow his plane to land in the country. Prime Minister Henry soon received a message mid-air from the US State Department telling him to change his route.

Instead of going to the Dominican Republic’s capital Santo Domingo, Henry was told to take a detour to Puerto Rico or one of Haiti’s neighboring Caribbean countries. Henry eventually chose Puerto Rico, an insular territory under U.S. sovereignty. Prime Minister Henry’s plane landed in San Juan, where he was immediately approached by U.S. Secret Service agents.

The Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, said late Tuesday that the United States had sought to request that Henry make an "indefinite stopover" on its territory, a request it had refused, prompting the rerouting of Henry's plane.

In response to questions about the denial of Mr Henry's plane, the Dominican government said: "It is imperative that any action taken does not compromise our national security." The Dominican Republic has also beefed up security on its border with Haiti. Last year it deported tens of thousands of Haitian migrants and said it would not allow Haitian refugee camps to operate on its territory.

Returning home and keeping his seat are both difficult for Mr. Henry.

The US had previously shown support for Prime Minister Henry after he took power following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021, but has now been forced to press him to hand over power to resolve the crisis at home.

A State Department spokesperson said the US was not pushing for Henry to resign but wanted him to “speed up” the transition of political power. The US also said it could not help Henry return home. “We will not provide any assistance to help the Prime Minister return to Haiti,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said.

Gang boss Jimmy Cherizier (center). Photo: Reuters

Mr Henry has been abroad to push for a UN-backed, Kenyan-led force to come to Haiti to crack down on gangs, but no specific details have been released about the force, including when it will be deployed and how it will operate.

Meanwhile, Haitian gangs have become increasingly brazen, even warning that if Mr Henry does not step down and countries continue to support him, it could lead to civil war.

“If Ariel Henry does not step down, if the international community continues to support Ariel Henry, they will directly lead us into a civil war that will end in genocide,” Jimmy Cherizier, aka Barbeque, the leader of a criminal gang alliance that is causing chaos in Haiti, said at a press conference on Tuesday.

He added that a broad alliance of gangs known as Viv Ansanm (Living Together) was fighting to seize strategic areas to carry out the coup plan. Local human rights group RNDDH said at least nine police stations had been burned while 21 public buildings or shops had been looted and more than 4,600 prisoners had escaped in the past week.

More casualties than the war in Ukraine

Leaders from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) met with Haitian government officials and opposition figures from the private, civil and religious sectors “around the clock” for three days, CARICOM Chairman Irfaan Ali, who is also the President of Guyana, said in a video statement.

Mr Ali said they had not been able to reach “any form of consensus” among Haiti’s key players and said it was essential to establish a consensus as countries prepare to deploy troops to Haiti.

“They all know the cost of failure. The fact that more people died in Haiti earlier this year than in Ukraine should give everyone pause for thought,” the Guyanese president added.

Haitians flee gang violence and lawlessness in Haiti. Photo: Reuters

A small number of protesters gathered outside a Puerto Rico hotel believed to be hosting Mr Henry on Wednesday, calling for his resignation and demanding an outside agency help run the election.

A UN spokesman on Wednesday reiterated calls for donations for security forces and aid operations, saying major hospitals were overwhelmed by wounded civilians and needed urgent supplies of blood.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk called for the "urgent deployment without further delay" of security forces as planned, saying: "This situation is beyond unacceptable for the people of Haiti."

According to the United Nations, some 360,000 people have been internally displaced in Haiti, while nearly 1,200 people have been killed and nearly 700 injured since the beginning of the year, with widespread reports of rape and torture as well as the blocking of people's access to basic supplies and services.

“Every day brings new deprivation and horror. Haitians are caught in the crossfire,” said Catherine Russell, head of the UN children’s agency.

Haiti's private hospital association said on Wednesday that many hospitals have been victims of violent attacks due to the conflict and are facing severe shortages of medical supplies such as fuel and oxygen.

Hoang Hai (according to Reuters, MCD, AJ)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/hanh-trinh-ve-nuoc-kich-tinh-va-suc-ep-tu-chuc-khong-lo-cua-thu-tuong-haiti-post287048.html