US representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) welcomed Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s resignation announcement.
The announcement comes amid rampant gang violence across the island.
Representative McCormick stated Haitians had been waiting for the Prime Minister to make the announcement and welcomed it.
McCormick is the cochair of the Congress Haiti caucus and still has family members in Haiti.
In an interview with the BBC, McCormick claimed Haitians “have been calling for him to resign for over a year and a half.”
McCormick continued, stating the Prime Minister “was not trying to facilitate a democratic transition, and the gang situation was getting worse.”
When asked if the US should intervene directly, McCormick responded negatively.
“There is a definite need for a security mission,” stated McCormick, “but I don’t believe that we’ll see US troops.”
McCormick claimed the US strategy of indirect assistance centered on having more “culturally competent troops” engage in Haiti.
Kenyan military forces, according to McCormick, would be appropriate for Haiti’s current security needs.
The US state department has been actively monitoring the developing crisis.
Prime Minister Henry will be replaced by a Presidential transition council, tasked with selecting the next president.
The State Department has pledged an additional $100 million to a security mission and $33 million in humanitarian aid.
However, it seems unlikely the US will intervene directly through military force.
Meanwhile, the gang-induced humanitarian crisis in Haiti worsens by the minute.
Representative Cory Mills (R-FL) recently announced that he and his team rescued a group of 10 Americans from the “Have Faith Orphanage” in Haiti on Monday.
Representative Mills previously also evacuated 77 Americans from Israel in October, just four days after the initial terrorist attack committed by Hamas.
