A man walks past a burning barricade during a demonstration against insecurity in Port-au-Prince, at the start of month of March. Agence France-Presse The situation remains “explosive” on Friday in Port-au-Prince according to the UN, at a time when Haitians are awaiting the appointment of transitional authorities following the resignation of the contested Prime Minister, Ariel Henry. After a few days of relative calm, violence was recorded in the capital, which is 80% in the hands of armed gangs. On two main roads in the city center, residents erected barricades to try to protect themselves from gang attacks, but also in protest, according to an AFP correspondent.
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A man walks near a barricade consumed by fire as Haiti remains in a state of emergency.
The situation in Port-au-Prince remains explosive and tense, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). #x27;capital airport and the residence of the director general of police himself was looted and set on fire, according to a police union.
The night curfew was extended until Sunday in the West department, encompassing Port-au-Prince, according to the office of Prime Minister who is currently handling current affairs.
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A man arrested for having threatened to kill Paul St-Pierre Plamondon
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A man arrested for having threatened to kill Paul St-Pierre Plamondon
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There are lots of prison escapees on the streets. The situation is steadily getting worse. The decision to declare a state of emergency in Haiti with a curfew […] is laudable […], but that's not how it should beA quote from Edner Petit, a resident of Port-au-Prince
The Haitian Medical Association, for its part, expressed its dismay at the forced closure of hospitals and acts of physical violence against healthcare workers.
Monday evening, Prime Minister Ariel Henry, whose mandate was marked by a rise in gang power and who had been appointed a few days before the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, announced that #x27;he resigned.
Screenshot of the resignation address of Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry to the nation of March 11, 2024.
The news came in the middle of an emergency meeting of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) with Haitian representatives, the UN and several countries such as the United States. These groups entrusted the Haitian groups with setting up a presidential transition council.
Several of the chosen parties submitted the name of their representative to CARICOM , several sources told AFP.
Initially, the members of the December 21 collective – the group that supported Ariel Henry – could not agree on a single representative and designated three.
< p class="StyledBodyHtmlParagraph-sc-48221190-4 hnvfyV">But they are in talks to find a consensus candidate, according to sources close to the negotiations.
The head of American diplomacy Antony Blinken said on Friday he was confident that the council could see the light of day in the coming days.
This was not going to go without saying and happen in a linear way (…) But we see that it is progressing.
A quote by Antony Blinken, head of American diplomacy
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has a clear message. He wants all Haitian stakeholders to put aside their differences to advance the establishment of provisional authorities, according to his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric.
The presidential transitional council must be composed of seven voting members representing the main political forces in Haiti and the private sector. He must choose an interim prime minister and appoint an inclusive government.
Excluded will be persons charged or convicted by the courts, under UN sanctions, intending to run in the next elections in Haiti and/or opposing the UN resolution on the deployment of ;a multinational security support mission.
Kenya, which must deploy a thousand police officers as part of this mission, announced that it was suspending the sending of its men, but assured that it would intervene once a presidential council was installed. Canada has also reduced the number of diplomats at its embassy in Haiti by more than half (New window), citing an increasingly unstable security situation in that country.
The United Nations has indicated that it will set up an air bridge between Haiti and the neighboring Dominican Republic to allow the flow of humanitarian aid.
People are waiting for the along a street to collect water in buckets and containers, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, March 12, 2024.
According to the World Food Program, 44% of the Haitian population is in a situation of acute food insecurity.
The The United States, for its part, announced additional humanitarian aid of $25 million on Friday. These funds will notably support the UN and NGOs in the areas of food aid, emergency care and drinking water.