Ariel Henry has resigned as prime minister after weeks of chaos in Haiti. Gangs have attacked government structures, and the social order is at the verge of collapse.

Henry announced in a late-Monday video that his government will leave power once a transitional Council is established. He added, “Haiti must have peace.” Haiti needs stability.”

“My government will depart immediately after the council’s inauguration. Henry stated that we will act as a caretaker cabinet until a new prime minister and cabinet are named.

Jean Junior Joseph, Henry’s advisor, told CNN that Henry will remain in this role until a new interim administration is formed.

CARICOM, the Caribbean Community and Common Market, met in Jamaica on Monday and agreed to create a transitional Council to lay the groundwork for Haitian elections.

We are happy to announce our commitment to a transitional governance agreement which will pave the way for a smooth transition of power and continuity of government, as well as an action plan to ensure near-term safety and paving the road for free and fair election. In a press conference flanked by Caribbean leaders, Irfaan Ali, the leader of Guyana and CARICOM chairman said that it also aims to ensure that Haiti is governed according to the rule law.

Henry was in Kenya when the worst violence broke out last week. He had signed an agreement that would send 1,000 Kenyan officers to the Caribbean country to restore security. His government has lost its grip on the situation.

The security situation around Port-au-Prince airport, the capital of Haiti, deteriorated and he was unable return. The Dominican Republic, a neighboring country, refused to allow his plane to land. He has been on the US territory Puerto Rico since last Thursday.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced after the CARICOM Meeting on Monday that the United States would contribute $300 million towards the multinational security mission led by Kenya. He announced that an additional $33million would be provided in “humanitarian aid for the people of Haiti.”

The United States pressed Henry to find a political solution, but it’s not clear who will take the lead. Guy Philippe is one name that has been mentioned. He was recently deported to Haiti from the US after serving a jail sentence for money laundering.

Henry, who was unelected as president of Haiti in 2021 after the assassination, did not hold elections in Haiti last year because he believed that the insecurity in the country would make the voting process difficult. His decision enraged the protesters, who for months had demanded that he step down as Haiti continued to slide into poverty and rampant violence.

Since Henry’s visit to Kenya, Port-au-Prince is gripped by an unprecedented wave of coordinated attacks against law enforcement agencies and state institutions. This has caused tens-of-thousands of people to flee.

Chaos in the capital

Haiti has been in a state-of-emergency since groups attacked Port-au-Prince’s largest prison earlier this month. They killed and injured police and prison personnel and allowed some 3,500 prisoners to escape.

Jimmy “Barbecue Cherizier”, a gang leader who claimed credit for the attack, said that the jailbreak was a bid to overthrow Henry Henry’s government.

Cherizier, speaking to Reuters last week in Port-au-Prince, said: “If Ariel Henry does not step down, if Ariel Henry continues to be supported by the international community, then they will lead us straight into a civil conflict that will end up in genocide.”

According to estimates by the United Nations, gangs control 80% or Haiti’s capital and continue to fight over the remaining 20%. As Henry was away from the country, gangs surrounded the main airport in Haiti to prevent him from returning safely.

Tens of thousands have been forced to flee, adding to more than 300.000 people who were already displaced due to gang violence.

Haiti has been plagued by violence, political crises, and drought for many years. This has left 5.5 million Haitians, or about half of the population, in dire need of humanitarian aid.

UN estimates that about 1,000,000 Haitian children do not attend school. This makes those living in areas controlled by gangs vulnerable to recruitment. A cholera outbreak that began in Haiti in 2022 has also ravaged the country.

Volker Turk, the UN’s chief of human rights, described the situation as “untenable”. He called for the deployment of a multinational mission to help the Haitian police. He said that there was no other realistic way to protect people’s lives.

CNN’s team on the ground in Afghanistan spoke with a number of civilians affected by the violence. These included women who had been raped and women who had seen their husbands burnt and killed.

A 14-year old boy told CNN that he was recruited by a group when he turned 11 and was forced to burn bodies of people killed by the other members.

He said “I want my life to change,” while holding back the tears.