Escalating unrest, thousands of Haitians protest demanding Prime Minister Henry's unconditional departure

Thousands of people took to the streets in the capital Port-au-Prince and many major cities of Haiti demanding the unconditional departure of Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

Bất ổn lei thang, hàng nghìn người Haiti biểu tình yêu cầu Thủ tướng Henry ra đi vô điều kiện

Haiti is in a state of unrest as there has not been a presidential election since 2016. (Source: AP)

Prime Minister Henry is expected to end his term on February 7 (local time) as previously agreed.

Some injured protesters accused Haitian national police of causing the situation by using tear gas to disperse the violent crowd.

At least five agents of Haiti's BSAP security brigade rebelled against the government after being banned from carrying weapons and ammunition and not allowed to appear on the streets.

BSAP is a heavily armed force and the fact that these agents are on the opposition side has caused the number of protesters to increase exponentially.

Many people took to the streets to demand that Prime Minister Henry comply with Article 20 of the agreement signed on December 21, 2022, which stipulates when his term ends. He is the highest authority in Haiti after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise on June 7, 2021.

He has promised to hold elections, but none have been held and analysts fear this could worsen the country's crisis. Haiti's last presidential election was in 2016.

Legislative elections have also not been held, paralyzing the country's parliament . The opposition has announced a nationwide protest from February 7.

The opposition has announced a nationwide protest from February 7. Former Haitian rebel leader Guy Philippe has also called for a revolution to overthrow the Prime Minister, amid Haiti's increasingly dire economic, political and social situation, with the country mired in extreme poverty and violence.

Massive anti-government protests that erupted on February 5 left one Haitian dead and at least three injured. Schools remained closed on February 6 due to security concerns.

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