Haitian Prime Minister Resigns, Caving to Street Gangs Who Vowed Civil War Unless He Left

Matt Vespa | March 12, 2024 7:00 AM

In 2018, Haiti was one of the countries that Donald Trump allegedly included on his “s**thole” nations list when talking about immigration. It set off a firestorm of condemnation, with many liberal figures trying to debunk the main premise. Haiti isn’t trash; it’s a treasure of the tropics. That had a shelf life of about 10 seconds, and now the people making that point are looking increasingly ridiculous as the island nation has become wracked with crime and murder and is on the brink of civil war.

The dead litter the streets of the capital, Port-au-Prince, as no one is willing to remove the bodies. The street gangs have more or less taken control of the country, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry. Henry obliged yesterday after a gang leader—‘Barbecue’—threatened total civil war and genocide if the prime minister didn’t vacate his post (via NBC News):

The embattled prime minister of Haiti, whose capital has been wracked by out-of-control gang violence, has agreed to resign, the head of a collective of Caribbean countries said Monday.
Mohamed Irfaan Ali, president of Guyana and chairman of the group known as Caricom, announced the resignation at a Monday night news conference.
“We acknowledge the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, upon the establishment of a transitional presidential council and the naming of an interim prime minister," Ali said.
[…]
Henry has been on U.S. soil since last week, forced to land in Puerto Rico after he was unable to land in Haiti due to threats at the airport. Protesters had been seen outside the hotel he’s believed to be staying in as calls for his resignation grew louder.
[…]
The notorious “G9 and Family" gang leader, Jimmy Cherizier — known as “Barbecue”— threatened more violence if Henry, prime minister since 2021, did not step down.

Haiti has long been a nightmare for the Caribbean, beset by pervasive political instability. Before Henry resigned, there was the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021. A de facto civil war did erupt in 2004 when rebel groups ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Natural disasters have also plagued the island nation. Now, caving to street gangs can be added to the list.