Will Ariel Henry’s resignation finally restore peace in Haiti?

Prime Minister of Haiti, Ariel Henry, has bowed to ongoing pressure to step down as the leader of the Caribbean nation. He has appealed for a peaceful transition of power.

But will this move really bring the peace, economic, and political stability Haitians have yearned for the past years?

The facts

Following his resignation, the PM said there as been an agreement after a meeting with the Council of Ministers to set up a presidential transitional council that will “govern over different sectors of national life”.

Haiti has been in series of political violence for more than 4 years. The chaos which worsened for the past few days resulted in deaths, destruction of state properties, and social structure.

Under his leadership, armed gangs greatly expanded their resources, power, and territory. The escalation of the violence last week, prompted Henry to visit Kenya in late February to win a backing for security. The deal would see 1,000 Kenyan law enforcement officials dispatched to the Caribbean country in order to reestablish the security environment over which his government had lost control.

Sec. of State Antony Blinken announced following the CARICOM summit on Monday that the US will donate $300 million to the multinational security mission headed by Kenya. In addition, he declared that $33 million would be provided for “humanitarian assistance for the people of Haiti.”

According to Ariel, he agrees that Haiti needs peace, stability, sustainable development, and a  rebuild of its democratic institutions.

“I’m asking all Haitians to remain calm and do everything they can for peace and stability to come back as fast as possible for the good of the country,” he announced.

The arguments

Although the resignation of a political figure may ease the tension country faced with violence, the fundamental problems, if left unchecked, may not always be resolved.

In Haiti’s case, the situation might stabilize briefly with the introduction of the transitional council. However, it also relies on the new leaders’ capacity to establish credibility and resolve the complaints of disparate groups within the Haitian society.

Like Sukehiro Hasegawa said in a study, new leaders must be unwavering as well as be ready to share and make accommodations for different interests and goals. The former UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nation further said leaders who practice virtue and self-discipline instead of relying on force and power to maintain their positions are the best bets for creating a society founded on the rule of law.

Secondly, Haiti has a long history of entrenched social, economic, and political issues as well as fractured power systems.  Experts assert that these fundamental problems are likely to remain even after Ariel Henry steps down, which could result in ongoing instability irrespective of the person in charge.

Also, a cue can be taken from other countries that have been war-torn or experienced any other form of civil unrest. Mostly, the resignation of a leader does not entirely lead to peace. Those who usually enforce the leaders’ resignation or forcefully claim power end up becoming worse. A classical example is the Military regime in Myanmar where citizens are either fleeing or living in fear.

President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s resignation in Yemen did not end the nation’s intricate civil war or its humanitarian crises. In a report, Yemen continues to be one of the biggest humanitarian disasters globally. A startling 21.6 million people would need humanitarian aid in 2023, with 80% of the nation unable to meet their basic needs for food and shelter.

However, to achieve long-lasting peace in Haiti, observers say leaders will have to do twice the work of restoring faith in institutions and deal with the underlying causes of conflict. Years may pass throughout this procedure, which calls for coordinated efforts from both domestic and foreign parties.

Numerous external influences, such as foreign aid, regional geopolitics, and the interests of powerful states, have an impact on Haiti’s peace and stability. Again, dynamics might not be considerably changed by Ariel Henry’s resignation, which means that external factors might still influence what happens in Haiti.

The UN Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) is a contentious UN mission that faced numerous allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation in Haiti. There is also the case of some Western countries have taken control over the country.

According to Haitian Human Rights Lawyer, Mario Joseph, Haiti is capable of sound governance without relying on a third party.

“Haiti cannot have relations with other countries only America. But we got China, we got Russia, we got other countries in the African [continent] because we [are] from African descent. All the time, they interfere. We need the international community like America, France, and Canada to let the Haitian people control their [own] country. We can do that. They need to let us make the decisions for our own country,” Mario told Qonversations.