Haiti Prime Minister Resigns Amid Gang Violence, Transitional Council Sworn In

Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned on Thursday as a new council was sworn in to lead the country gripped by deadly gang violence.

A recent outbreak of violence forced officials to move the ceremony from the National Palace to the outgoing prime minister’s office.

Mr Henry agreed to step down last month after armed groups blocked his return to the country.

Gangs now control most of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

They have capitalised on the power vacuum left by the prime minister’s exit and expanded their control over swathes of the country, which has effectively become lawless in places.

Mr Henry said he would resign after being prevented from returning from Kenya, where he had signed a deal to import a multinational security force in a bid to restore law and order. His resignation was formally presented in a letter signed in Los Angeles, dated 24 April.

Nine members of the transitional council have now been sworn in, seven of which have voting powers. Mr Henry’s finance minister, Patrick Boisvert, will serve as the interim prime minister.

The council will try to restore order and democratic rule in Haiti, and is backed by other Caribbean nations and the US.

It will set the agenda of a new Cabinet, form a national security council and appoint an electoral commission to pave the way to a vote.

Its non-renewable mandate will expire on 7 February 2026, when a new president is expected to be sworn in.