Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry has formally relinquished power in Haiti as a new governing council is sworn in to chart a new path for a country that has been in the chokehold of deadly gangs.
Mr Henry had agreed to step down after armed gangs prevented him from returning to the country following his trip to Kenya where he had signed a deal to bring in a Kenya-led multinational security force to quell the violence and restore order.
Nine members of the transitional council have been sworn in, seven of which have voting powers. Mr Henry’s finance minister, Michel Patrick Boisvert, will serve as the interim prime minister.
However, the ceremony had to be moved from the National Palace to the outgoing Prime Minister’s office after gunshots rang out nearby.
Gangs took advantage of the power vacuum left by the absence of the prime minister’s absence to extend their control over most of the country, including the capital Port Au Prince.
The council’s primary task is to restore law and order and set the agenda for the new government. It will also establish a security council and an electoral commission that will prepare the country for elections.
Its non-renewable mandate will expire on 7 February 2026, when a new president is expected to be sworn in.