Haiti: Prime minister calls for calm as protests seek his resignation

Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry urged calm in a public address early Thursday following three days of protests that have paralyzed the country as thousands of protesters demand his resignation.

The brief speech in the pre-dawn hours did little to appease people who are angry and frustrated over unrelenting gang violence, deepening poverty, and the lack of any plan in sight for general elections.

“I think the time has arrived for all to put our heads together to save Haiti, to do things another way in our country,” Henry said without offering specifics.

He urged Haitians not to look at the government or at Haiti’s National Police as their adversaries.

His comments come as thousands of Haitians gathered daily this week in cities and towns across the country to demand that Henry step down, saying they will keep protesting until he leaves.

Haiti’s legislature is currently empty after the terms of its last 10 senators expired in January 2023. The country failed to hold planned elections in 2019 and 2023, and Henry assumed power with the support of the international community following the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. -(CMC)