Haiti's Prime Minister Ariel Henry, 74, resigns after gangs warned of civil war and 'genocide' if he did not step down amid bloody uprising 

• e-mail

Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry has resigned, following an emergency summit called to address gang-led violence currently occurring in the country.

The 74-year-old head of state tendered his resignation Monday, a week after the growing coalition of gangs warned of civil war if he did not step down.

His resignation was swiftly confirmed by Guyana’s president Mohamed Irfaan Ali, the current chair of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

The coalition called the emergency meeting as gangs across the Caribbean country continue to unite, shooting up government buildings and foreign embassies.

As a result, thousands have had fled their homes, and locals continue to report the overwhelming stench of the dead. Meanwhile, politicians across the region are scrambling for a solution - one that may now be in sight following Henry's removal.

Scroll down for video: 

Ariel Henry, 74, tendered his resignation Monday, a week after the growing coalition of gangs warned of civil war if he did not step down

His resignation was confirmed by Guyana’s president Mohamed Irfaan Ali (center), the current chair of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). He is seen her with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness

The coalition called the emergency meeting as gangs across the Caribbean country continue to unite, shooting up government buildings and foreign embassies. The leader of the alliance of gangs, former police officer Jimmy 'Barbecue' Cherizier, is seen in Port-au-Prince Monday

'We acknowledge his resignation upon the establishment of a transitional presidential council and naming of an interim prime minister,' Ali said, thanking Henry -  who came to power unelected after the assassination of Haiti’s previous president -  for his service.

The decision, said to have been made Friday, came shortly before the US deployed Marines to evacuate its embassy as gangs led by former police officer Jimmy 'Barbecue' Cherizier continue to attack state institutions.

Henry, at the moment, remains unable to return home, stranded in Puerto Rico since Tuesday after officials deemed it unsafe for him to land in neighboring Dominican Republic.

On Saturday, the office of Dominican President Luis Abinader issued a statement explaining that decision - saying 'Henry is not welcome in the Dominican Republic for safety reasons.' 

That decision came shortly after another that saw the Caribbean nation close its land border with its embattled neighbor, seemingly leaving the other side of Hispaniola to its fate.

With Henry out of the country, gangs across the region coalesced under Cherizier to from a sort of anti-government militia, waging war on his administration after he failed to step down  in February.

The group had been hellbent on rallying support for a Kenya-led foreign police intervention that they said would have restored order enough so that a new round of elections could be held.

That said, officials on Monday did not name a replacement for the world leader - saying only that CARICOM is now taking on the task of meeting the 'immediate needs' of the Haitian people.

The decision, said to have been made Friday, came shortly before the US deployed Marines to evacuate its embassy as gangs led by the former police officer - seen here Monday - continue to wage war on state institutions

The group had been hellbent on rallying support for a Kenya-led foreign police intervention that they said would have restored order enough so that a new round of elections could be held, killing anyone who stands in their way

Officials on Monday did not name a replacement for the world leader - saying only that CARICOM is now taking on the task of meeting the 'immediate needs' of Haitian people

With Henry currently out of the country, gangs coalesced under Cherizier to from a sort of anti-government militia, waging war on his administration after he failed to step down in February

That decision also came shortly after another that saw the Caribbean nation close its land border with its embattled neighbor, seemingly leaving the other side of Hispaniola to its fate

That assertion was delivered by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was deployed Monday to the Caribbean summit to represent his country amid talks for a peaceful solution.

In a statement Monday, Blinken's office backed a proposal made in partnership with CARICOM and Haitian stakeholders that would 'expedite a political transition through a creation of a broad based, independent presidential college', with CARICOM taking the reins in the interim.

Blinken, meanwhile, added that the meeting was 'critical' for Haiti and the region, and promised an additional $100million to fund a United Nations-backed force to stabilize the region.

He also vowed an additional $30million in humanitarian assistance, as the US continues to provide financial aid to both Ukraine and Israel.

Haiti’s government, meanwhile, declared a state of emergency on March 3, after armed groups attacked the nation's largest prison by shooting and injuring police and prison staff - ultimately allowing some 3,500 inmates to escape.

The situation has since worsened, as the once disjointed mass of gangs continue to become more organized.

As hospitals and coroners remain closed out of fear for operators safety, Pope Francis on Sunday offered his prayers, pleading for an end to the violence.

'I am following with concern and pain the serious crisis affecting Haiti and the violent episodes that have occurred in recent days," the 87-year-old said following his Sunday Angelus prayer from the Vatican.

'I am close to the Church and to the dear Haitian people who have suffered so much for years.'

The situation has seen thousands flee their homes, as locals continue to report the overwhelming stench of the dead. Meanwhile, politicians across the region are scrambling for a solution - one that may now be in sight following Henry's removal

The US has deployed Marines to evacuate its embassy in Haiti on Sunday, as local gangs continue to attack state institutions,. Locals in the nation's capital, meanwhile, continue to report the overwhelming stench of the dead

He proceeded to offer his prayers, before calling on all sides to work amicably toward a solution 'with the renewed support of the international community.'

It remains to be seen how the alliance of gangs will respond to Henry stepping down, and in the meantime, dogs have been seen gnawing on the unaddressed dead.

The neighborhood around the embassy in the capital, Port-au-Prince, has been one of the hardest-hit, hence the recent operation involving the US Embassy. Its success was revealed in a statement from the US military's Southern Command later in the day.

'This airlift of personnel into and out of the embassy is consistent with our standard practice for embassy security augmentation worldwide, and no Haitians were on board the military aircraft,' the command, one of 11 within the DoD, said Sunday.

The statement went on to reveal how the European Union's delegation in Haiti has too temporarily closed its offices, amid the looming threat of the localized gangs.

The airlift operation at the embassy, they added, saw several non-essential embassy personnel evacuated under the cover of night, while the unspecified number of troops remained to bolster security.

In the meantime, the Caribbean nation continues to reel under a state of emergency, extended Thursday by a month as officials try and curb the violent gang attacks.

A curfew was called along with it, as the US and other countries with a presence there continue to keep operations to a minimum, citing security concerns.

Residents in places like Port-au-Prince - estimated to be at least 80 percent overrun by the gangs - have reported the strong smell of decay from the dead, whose bodies are often left to rot in the sweltering Caribbean sun

Violence in the Caribbean country broke out out this past week , and has since threatened to bring down the local government

As angs across the country continue to unite, thousands have been forced to flee their homes, either due to safety concerns or the overwhelming stench of corpses

Politicians across the region are scrambling for a solution, as dogs have been seen gnawing on the unaddressed dead

For locals on the ground, it's reportedly even worse - particularly after a sweltering weekend where temperatures in the tropical region reached well into the 90s.

Residents in places like Port-au-Prince - estimated to be at least 80 percent overrun by the gangs - have thus reported the strong smell of decay, telling publications like The New York Times that the stench has forced them to vacate their homes.

A death toll, as of Monday, remains unknown, as gangs were seen hurling Molotov cocktails at the The Ministry of Interior and Territorial Communities.

The building not far from the US embassy, which has stationed several more Marines on its grounds for protection.r)

The chaos, meanwhile, has left citizens struggling to survive, with one telling The Times Sunday how an acquaintance's brother was struck down by one of the near-constant streams of gunfire.

'The biggest fear is stray bullets,' said Nixon Boumba, a 42-year-old consultant to an international aid and human rights organization based in the capital.

He went on to recall how, last weekend, he called the motorcycle taxi driver he typically uses to go shopping, to find his friend beside himself.

 'He told me, "I can’t come now. My brother was hit by a stray bullet,"' Boumba recalled Sunday.

Blondine Tanis, a 36-year-old radio broadcaster who was kidnapped by one of the then disjointed gangs in July who then sold her to another gang that held her for nine days, said the violence was unlike anything she had seen before. 

'What I’m witnessing today is unprecedented. It’s been too long,' the morgue directors said. 'It’s heartbreaking to go around and see bodies being eaten by dogs and see the corpses covered with sheets'

A death toll, as of Monday, remains unknown, as gangs were seen hurling Molotov cocktails at the The Ministry of Interior and Territorial Communities, not far from the US embassy

'There are young kids in the streets with heavy automatic weapons,' she said, comparing the unrest to the 1991 coup that led to three years of military rule.

'They shoot people and burn their bodies with no remorse. I don’t know how to qualify that. I ask myself what happened to this generation. Are they even human?'

As the stench permeates throughout the country, a morgue director told The Washington Post how he has received 20 calls in the past week from residents asking him to pick up bodies. 

Four calls came in Friday, Lyonel Milfort told paper, before admitting that he had to refuse all of them.

Residents  have been seen carrying out body removals themselves, as dogs and other animals begin to gnaw on the unaddressed dead.

Gangs, meanwhile, continue to patrol the streets, setting up barricades and firing indiscriminately.

This, Milfort said, has mad venturing outside virtually impossible, as other morgues and government funded institution have found themselves under attack.

He said he doesn’t want to risk the lives of his staff, mentioning how since starting his business in 2002, he has never been forced to close for so long - now more than a week.

'What I’m witnessing today is unprecedented. It’s been too long,' he said. 'It’s heartbreaking to go around and see bodies being eaten by dogs and see the corpses covered with sheets.'

Romain Le Cour, a political scientist currently conducting research in Port-au-Prince, said the outsized amount of bodies - many of which can be seen in photographs snapped as recently as Sunday - reflect 'extremely high levels of violence, extreme pressure on the population and a feeling of hopelessness and abandonment.'

Gangs, meanwhile, continue to patrol the streets, setting up barricades and firing indiscriminately at displaced residents like the woman above on Saturday

He described the situation as among the worst Haiti has seen in years. He mentioned The 2010 earthquake that left 220,000 people dead, but pointed to how in that particular case, there was both a national and international response that reassured Haitians something was being done.

In this case, he said, citizens have not been provided with the same comfort, especially with their prime minister currently AWOL.

'Right now, what is terrible is the sense of abandonment,' he said Sunday, shortly after the successful Embassy operation. 'You have no one to turn to.

'You have to do what you have to do,' he continued. 'But you have to do it alone.'

That said, In Southern Command's statement, officials said that Washington remained firmly committed to quelling those concerns.

'Our embassy remains focused on advancing U.S. government efforts to support the Haitian people, including mobilizing support for the Haitian National Police, expediting the deployment of the United Nations-authorized Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission and accelerating a peaceful transition of power via free and fair elections,' it said.

Meanwhile, another Port-au-Prince resident, who also did not give his name, described the recent attacks on Sunday

'They (the gangs) came with big guns. We have no guns and we cannot defend ourselves,' he said in an interview. 'All of us, the children are suffering.'