Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry Resigns

 


Ariel Henry announced he will resign as prime minister  of  Haiti. This was not so much of a resignation, but an overthrow of an unpopular government . When visiting Kenya about deploying police to Haiti, gang violence escalated. Henry was not elected and was appointed prime minister after the Moise assassination. Haiti has not had elections since 2016. The country might have democratic institutions, but it functions as an authoritarian system in practice. Ariel Henry refused to step down when his term of service expired. Henry currently is in Puerto  Rico. Haiti has been destabilized by US interreference and United Nations missions. The jail break of 4,000 gang members caused a spike in violence. What these gangs could transform into are organized militias and armed groups. Certain gangs are not focused on violent crime, rather aspire to seize power. The G9 Family and Allies might be seeking higher political objectives. Using the term gang would no longer be correct. The United Nations is now planning to sent another mission into Haiti. Presented as a multinational security support mission it is another invasion of the country. Kenya will lead this mission with a force of 1,000 police officers. What it amounts to is police officers acting a substitutes for soldiers. Police are not trained to fight wars or armed groups. Law enforcement differs from peacekeeping missions and military combat. If President William Ruto gets Kenya to commit to this operation it will be a major humanitarian crisis. The involvement of  multiple countries and the UN to stop gangs is puzzling. The United Nations never did missions against MS-13.  Haiti is of interest to US policy for influence in the Caribbean. This explains why the Biden administration did not condemn Prime Minister Ariel Henry. Ariel Henry was denied entry back into the country and by definition exiled. Resignation was not what occurred in reality. The official policy of the transitional government has not been made public. If they do allow for another occupation by the United Nations, public discord will grow.    

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