Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry has resigned after months of gang violence in the Caribbean country which has left over 1,000 people killed, injured or kidnapped.
Henry’s resignation now paves way for the formation of a new government to run the troubled country.
Associated Press reported that Henry presented his resignation in a letter signed in Los Angeles, US, dated April 24.
Henry resigned the same day a council tasked with choosing a new prime minister and Cabinet for Haiti was due to be sworn in.
Haiti leaders announced the creation of the council following an emergency meeting to tackle the country’s crisis.
The nine-member council, of which seven have voting powers, is also expected to help set the agenda of a new Cabinet.
It will also appoint a provisional electoral commission, a requirement before elections can take place, and establish a national security council.
Haiti came under siege on February 29 as PM Henry arrived in Kenya to sign an agreement for the deployment of 1,000 police officers to help restore peace in his country.
This is after a gang staged an attack on the country's main international airport, police stations and government agencies, paralysing normal operations.
Henry attended a public lecture at the United States International University (USIU) in Nairobi ahead of the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding to enable the deployment.
The attacks came days after Henry met in Guyana with Caribbean leaders, who he said pledged to hold long-awaited general elections by mid-2025.
It is the third time he has announced such a deadline, with previous promises made in 2022 and 2023.
Henry flew from Guyana to Kenya with the hope of moving forward on the deployment of Kenyan police officers to Haiti.
Kenya which will lead the team to combat the gangs plans to deploy more than 1,000 officers to Haiti to help in the mission.
The teams are from the Rapid Deployment Unit, Anti Stock Theft Unit, General Service Unit, and Border Patrol Unit.
