Protests in Haiti on Monday resulted in the shutdown of major cities as demonstrators clashed with police and called for the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry. Banks, schools, and government agencies in northern and southern Haiti closed, and protesters blocked main routes with blazing tires, disrupting public transportation. In Hinche, a city in Haiti’s central region, heavily armed state environmental agents and their commander, Joseph Jean Baptiste, celebrated their arrival and demanded Mr. Henry’s resignation, claiming they had the support of the population. The agents have been under government scrutiny following recent clashes with police in northern Haiti.
Smaller demonstrations occurred in the capital of Port-au-Prince, where dozens of protesters gathered in front of Mr. Henry’s office before police fired tear gas, dispersing the crowd. The protesters included presidential candidate and former Prime Minister Claude Joseph. It is expected that protests will continue for three days, culminating on Wednesday, with February 7 set as the supposed deadline for Mr. Henry to resign. This date holds significance in Haitian history as it marks the day in 1986 that former dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier fled to France and the day in 1991 that Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Haiti’s first democratically-elected president, was sworn in.