Haiti wants Ariel out as fresh violence erupt at international airport

On Thursday, the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince, turned into a gunfighting battlefield. Flight cancellations were prompted by the shooting that broke out in the city at multiple sites, including one near the international airport.

Rebels claim that state security forces were the target of recent strikes at a police station that resulted in the deaths of several police officers and citizens in an attempt to force the removal of Prime Minister, Ariel Henry.

Prior to the fights starting, a well-known gang boss by the name of Jimmy Cherisier, also referred to as “Barbecue,” is said to have made the attack public through a social media video.

The attack near the airport is one of the many violent attacks and turmoil Haiti has been consistently plunged into for more than three years. This chaos was after the assassination of former President Jovenel Moise in 2021.The waves of crime and violence are in a bid to oust the Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

Haitians are unhappy with their leader because they hold him responsible for the country’s woes. Citizens of the Caribbean nation have repeatedly protested against him, calling for his resignation as he promised.

At the time of yesterday’s tragedy, Prime Minister Ariel Henry was in Kenya working to finalize plans for the deployment of a foreign military force to Haiti in order to help combat gangs.

Mario Joseph, a human rights lawyer from Haiti, claims that some Western nations who back Prime Minister Ariel Henry are doing more harm than good.

According to him, the significant impact of the West on Haiti has only resulted in a string of negative events, particularly violations of human rights and underdevelopment.

He went on to say that Haiti has had enough of being taken advantage of by the West and that it is time for Haiti to make its “own decision.”

“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.

With the support of the international world, Henry was sworn in as prime minister of Haiti shortly after President Jovenel Moise’s assassination in July 2021. As of right now, the country has no elected politicians.

Ariel declared that elections will take place in August 2025, contrary to the political agreement that called for the prime minister to transfer authority to elected representatives by February 7 of this year.

Observers, however, hold the view that a nation’s chief head of state should put the welfare and tranquillity of its people first. He claimed that not doing so causes instability.

“Leaders must understand that the reason for which we are elected is for the common good and the common welfare of the people. So, if you lose legitimacy in the people, there are all kinds of demands from you. People must learn to let go of power so they can protect the peace of the nation,” human rights attorney and politician Francis-Xavier Sosu told Qonversations.