With security collapsing and a humanitarian crisis engulfing the Caribbean nation, the United States announced on Wednesday that it was pressuring Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry to accelerate a democratic transition.
After going to Kenya to get security support, Henry, the unelected interim leader of Haiti, has been in the US territory of Puerto Rico since Tuesday. It appears that Henry is either unable or unwilling to return to his conflict-torn nation.
According to a State Department spokesman, the United States wanted Henry to “expedite” the transfer of political authority rather than pressuring him to step down. Additionally, the US said that it is not assisting Henry in going home.
“We are not providing any assistance to help the prime minister return to Haiti,” according to White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre. Gangs in Haiti have threatened to start a civil war if Henry refuses to step down and other nations keep supporting him.
Henry’s plane had already left New Jersey and landed in San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico. The Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, said that as recently as Tuesday, the US had been requesting that Henry make an “indefinite stopover” on its territory. The request had been denied.
Henry had left the country to secure Kenya’s planned leadership of a long-delayed UN-ratified security mission, which he had originally asked for in 2022 to aid in the battle against the growing gangs, however, other nations have been delaying to show support.
