The U.S. is reportedly pressing Haitian PM Ariel Henry to step down amid a standoff between Henry and an alliance of gangs calling for him to resign. Henry was unable to return to Haiti on Tuesday as gang assaults on the country’s main airport prevented his plane from landing safely. (Washington Post & New York Times)
Our Take
Henry’s inability to return to Haiti makes explicit and concrete what has been implicit and symbolic for more than two years: He is not in control of the country and is in no position to prevent it from sliding into anarchy. The events that have led to that becoming so irrefutable this week appear to have placed Haiti at a breaking point.
But this is not the first time since the night of July 6, 2021—when then-President Jovenel Moise was assassinated, plunging the country into a security and humanitarian crisis—that Haiti has seemed like it was at a breaking point requiring urgent action. And yet, those previous times, nothing was done. So it is certainly possible this time will be no different.