On Monday, three days after he signed a bilateral agreement in Kenya to open the door for a potential multinational force to assist in restoring security in the unstable Caribbean country, Ariel Henry, the prime minister of Haiti, remained missing. Following a bloody conflict between police and armed gangs in Haiti over the weekend, a local gang leader demanded Henry’s removal. Following a fierce weekend police struggle against formidable armed gangs, the government of Haiti proclaimed a 72-hour state of emergency. VOA spoke with Macharia Munene, a history and international relations professor at USIA-Africa in Nairobi, who expressed alarm over the unrest.
Munene declared, “It’s a revolution with [gang leader] Barbecue and his team saying they want Prime Minister Henry out.” “We’re not sure if the events in the Sahel have influenced them. This exacerbates the situation in Haiti, where the administration was already incompetent. that they are able to enter a jail, let everything inside, and free about 4,000 inmates.” The intention, according to Barbecue, a former police officer and strongman of a significant gang alliance, is to prevent Henry from leaving the nation. Barbecue goes by Jimmy Cherizier. Last week, Henry went abroad to garner support for the intervention of an international security force in Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.
He and President William Ruto signed a long-awaited bilateral agreement in Kenya, opening the door for 1,000 Kenyan police officers to serve as the leaders of a proposed multinational force supported by the United Nations that would aid in the restoration of security in Haiti. It is impossible to overestimate the mission’s urgency, according to Ruto. He declared, “It is a mission for humanity.” “It’s a mission to show solidarity with our fellow Haitians.” Ruto was thanked by Henry. He remarked, “We made this appeal, and you came through.” You mentioned our desire to assist Haiti. We are grateful, President. Thank you.”
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