Politicians seek coalition to lead Haiti as gangs take over and premier tries to return home

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti —  In a largely paralyzed Haiti, politicians are trying to build a coalition that can lead the nation out of the gang violence that has closed the main airport and prevented embattled Prime Minister Ariel Henry from returning home.

Schools and businesses remain closed amid heavy gunfire blamed on the gangs that control an estimated 80% of the capital, Port-au-Prince, where several bodies lay on empty streets. The country’s two biggest prisons have been raided, resulting in the release of more than 4,000 inmates over the weekend.

Henry faces increasing pressure to resign, which would probably trigger a U.S.-supported transition to a new government.

One new political alliance involves former rebel leader Guy Philippe and ex-presidential candidate and senator Moise Jean Charles, who told Radio Caraibes on Wednesday that they signed a deal to form a three-person council to lead Haiti.

Philippe, a key figure in the 2004 rebellion that ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, returned to Haiti in November and has been calling for Henry’s resignation. He spent several years in prison in the U.S. after pleading guilty to a money-laundering charge.

Meanwhile, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations was asked Wednesday whether the United States asked Henry to step down.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield replied that the U.S. has asked Henry to “move forward on a political process that will lead to the establishment of a presidential transitional council that will lead to elections.”

American officials believe it’s urgent for Henry to start “the process of bringing normalcy back to the people of Haiti,” she said.

The prime minister has not made any public comments since gangs began attacking critical infrastructure late last week while he was in Africa pushing for the U.N.-backed deployment of a police force from Kenya to help fight the violence in Haiti.

Before flying to Kenya, Henry was in the South American country of Guyana for a summit held by the Caribbean Community regional trade bloc, known as Caricom, where Haiti was high on the agenda.

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Meanwhile, a Caribbean official told the Associated Press on Wednesday that Caricom leaders spoke with Henry late Tuesday and presented several alternatives to end Haiti’s deepening crisis, including his resignation, which he refused. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to share details about the talks.

Henry landed Tuesday in Puerto Rico after he was not allowed to land in the Dominican Republic, where officials closed the airspace around Haiti. Héctor Porcella, director of the Dominican Institute of Civil Aviation, told reporters the plane did not have a required flight plan.

The Dominican Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Wednesday that U.S. and Haitian officials informally contacted it to inquire about the possibility of Henry’s plane making an “indefinite stop” in the Dominican Republic, adding that the prime minister was in New York at the time.

The government said it twice told foreign officials that such a move would require a defined flight plan.

“It is essential to note that the Dominican Republic maintains its willingness to continue cooperating with the international community to facilitate Haiti’s return to normalcy. However, it is imperative that any action taken does not compromise our national security,” the Foreign Affairs office said.

Henry was appointed prime minister with the backing of the international community shortly after the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise.

As he tried to return to Haiti on Wednesday, heavy gunfire echoed throughout Port-au-Prince. It was not clear when the country’s international airport would reopen.