Gangs control 80% of Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince

It's estimated that gangs now control approximately 80% of the city, resulting in over 15,000 people being displaced in just the recent weeks, reports CBS News.

In recent weeks, there has been a surge in armed assaults as the infamous gangs of the capital have joined forces in an attempt to remove Prime Minister Ariel Henry from power.

Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry has resigned, the President of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Guyana's President Mohamed Irfaan Ali announced Monday.

Ariel Henry headed the government after the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise in 2021. He is currently in Puerto Rico, as he was unable to return to the country from a trip abroad due to the violence and chaos there. Henry's resignation was demanded by gangs, among others.

The Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) will set up the transitional council. The organization met Monday in Jamaica, and after the meeting, its chairman, Guyanese President Mohamed Irfaan Ali, said the transitional council is to prepare the groundwork for elections in Haiti.

Democracy will also be helped by the Americans. U.S. diplomatic chief Antony Blinken, who attended the emergency CARICOM meeting, announced that the United States will contribute $300 million to support the international stabilization mission led by Kenya. The U.S. Secretary of State also announced an additional $33 million "for humanitarian assistance to the people of Haiti."

Chaos in the country has forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes. Already earlier violence on the part of the gangs led to the exits of more than 300 thousand Haitians.

Source: CBS News, CNN