The Haiti crisis, explained: Violence, hunger and unstable political leadership

A long-simmering crisis in Haiti has come to a head as its leader remains stranded in Puerto Rico while its people starve and live in fear of rampant violence.

A long-simmering crisis over Haiti’s ability to govern itself, particularly after a series of natural disasters and an increasingly dire humanitarian emergency, has come to a head in the Caribbean nation, as its de facto president remains stranded in Puerto Rico and its people starve and live in fear of rampant violence. 

The chaos engulfing the country has been bubbling for more than a year, only for it to spill over on the global stage on Monday night, as Haiti’s unpopular prime minister, Ariel Henry, agreed to resign once a transitional government is brokered by other Caribbean nations and parties, including the U.S.

But the very idea of a transitional government brokered not by Haitians but by outsiders is one of the main reasons Haiti, a nation of 11 million, is on the brink, according to humanitarian workers and residents who have called for Haitian-led solutions. 

“What we’re seeing in Haiti has been building since the 2010 earthquake,” said Greg Beckett, an associate professor of anthropology at Western University in Canada. 

There are fewer safe places, such as this boxing arena in Port-au-Prince, where families can escape violence by armed groups. Giles Clarke / Getty Images fileWhat is happening in Haiti and why?In the power vacuum that followed the assassination of democratically elected President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, Henry, who was prime minister under Moïse, assumed power, with the support of several nations, including the U.S. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/haiti-crisis-what-know-president-violence-government-rcna143000

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