The spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General made a call to Haitian authorities to “expedite the full implementation of the transitional governance arrangements” following the official installation of a Transitional Presidential Council (TPC) and the official resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry on Thursday. The establishment of the TPC comes as a response to rampant gang violence in the Caribbean island and a worsening humanitarian crisis, which is classed as an emergency by the UN.

The TPC’s role is to choose the next Haitian prime minister and ministerial cabinet following Henry’s formal resignation, with the aim of addressing the severe gang violence. It was formally established earlier in April after Henry was prevented from returning to Haiti by criminal gangs and agreed to formally resign. Henry left the country in February, aiming to secure additional support for the worsening situation, which had left the police force outnumbered against heavily armed gangs. It was reported by the UN that “powerful and well-armed gangs” took the opportunity to launch “coordinated attacks on various targets since February including police stations, prisons, airports and seaports.”

María Isabel Salvador, Special representative of the secretary-general for Haiti, in a briefing to the UN Security Council on Monday, pled for urgent action. She said that:

In early march, gangs mounted coordinated attacks targeting key state infrastructure, including multiple police stations and two of the main prisons in Port-au-Prince, as well as educational and health facilities and religious sites. […] During the first quarter of the year around 2,500 persons were killed or injured as a result of gang violence. This is a 53 percent increase as compared to the previous reporting period, making the first quarter of 2024 the most violent since BINUH’s Human Rights section started recording statistics in January 2022. […] Gangs have systematically targeted state infrastructure and attacked those performing key roles in governance, including judges and police officers, as well as human rights defenders and journalists. These attacks have further weakened state institutions and deepened the already critical challenges to the re-establishment of the rule of law.

Salvador noted the concerning impact that the island’s gang crisis is having on children, stating there is limited access to essential services and food insecurity has been exacerbated. She went on to state that the impact on access to education has left children vulnerable to gang recruitment, resulting in children being killed or exposed to violence, killings, and other crimes.

The TPC aims to prevent a political vacuum during the transitional period between Henry’s resignation and the appointment of a new cabinet and prime minister. Its mandate is non-renewable until February 7, 2026, which marks the date that the new government should be sworn in. Finance Minister Michel Patrick Boisvert is currently serving as the interim Prime Minister.

Gangs have reportedly made threats against the TPC. According to Reuters, gang leader Jimmy “Barbeque” Cherizier “warned members of the TPC to brace themselves.” It also reported that a series of unverified voice recordings contain orders to “indiscriminately” burn homes.

TPC member Fritz Alphonse Jean posted a photograph of the ceremony, which took place at the National Palace, on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “We continue the fight for the transformation of our country. The country needs the talents of all its sons and daughters here and in the diaspora to construct the new Haiti.”