The Prime Minister of Haiti, Ariel Henry has agreed to resign due to the pressure and increasing violence in the country.
His intention to resign follows regional leaders meeting in Jamaica on Monday which focused on a political transition in Haiti.
So far, Mr Henry is currently stranded in Puerto Rico after he was prevented by armed gangs from returning home, BBC reports.
Mr Henry urged Haitians to remain calm. In a video address announcing his resignation, he said, “The government that I am leading will resign immediately after the installation of [a transition] council.”
“I want to thank the Haitian people for the opportunity I had been granted. I’m asking all Haitians to remain calm and do everything they can for peace and stability to come back as fast as possible.”
Mr Henry, who had led the country supposedly on an interim basis since July 2021 following former President Jovenel Moïse’s assassination, had repeatedly postponed elections, saying security must be restored first.
In reaction to the situation in the country, Many Haitians had questioned him governing the country for this long without an elected president.
On the streets of the capital Port-au-Prince, heavily armed gangs have taken over, and attacked the main prison to help thousands of inmates escape.
Their demand is that the unelected prime minister should resign.
The capital Port-au-Prince and the surrounding region is under a month-long state of emergency, while a curfew has been extended.
