The rise and fall of Haiti’s Ariel Henry

Ariel Henry, the country’s prime minister since July 2021, announced on Monday that he would step down as soon as a transitional council was created to replace him. His resignation had seemed inevitable as a wave of gang violence swept through the capital, making it impossible for him to return from a trip abroad. Haiti spirals to collapse as gangs tighten grip. Mr Henry, a neurosurgeon by profession, was named prime minister at the beginning of July 2021.

The then-president, Jovenel Moïse, was brutally murdered by a group of Colombian mercenaries. In his 32 months in power no elections were held. During this time, Haitians grew increasingly impatient as rising gang violence mixed with political impotence. On 7 February of this year, the day that new presidents traditionally take office in Haiti, demonstrators took to the streets of the capital to demand Mr Henry’s resignation.

Mr Henry responded by stating he planned to hold elections by August 2025. Mr Henry travelled to Nairobi at the end of February for talks with Kenyan President William Ruto to try to revive the deployment. The gangs blockaded Toussaint Louverture airport to prevent Mr Henry from returning, and he has been stuck in Puerto Rico ever since.

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