As gangs proliferate across the crisis-ridden nation of Haiti, the country's leader steps down.

After weeks of escalating unrest in the Caribbean country, where gangs have been targeting government buildings and social order is on the verge of disintegrating, Ariel Henry, the embattled prime minister of Haiti, announced his resignation.

In a late-night video message on Monday, Henry stated that his government would step down following the formation of a transitional committee and that "peace is what Haiti needs." Stability is needed in Haiti.

"My government will depart as soon as the council is sworn in. Until they appoint a prime minister and a new cabinet, we will serve as a caretaker administration, Henry declared.

Henry will stay in his position until a new interim administration is formed, according to CNN, which was informed by Henry's advisor Jean Junior Joseph.

During its Monday meeting in Jamaica, the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) announced that it had decided to establish a transitional council in order to prepare the ground for elections in Haiti.

We are happy to declare our commitment to a transitional government framework that will allow for a smooth handover of power, ongoing governance, a plan of action for immediate security, and the holding of free and fair elections. Irfaan Ali, the chairman of CARICOM and a leader of Guyana, stated during a press conference, "It further seeks to assure that Haiti will be governed by the rule of law," accompanied by other leaders of the Caribbean.

Henry was in Kenya to negotiate a deal to dispatch 1,000 Kenyan police officers to the Caribbean country in order to repair the security situation, over which his government has lost control, when the worst of the violence broke out last week.

As the security situation around the airport in the capital, Port-au-Prince, worsened, he was unable to return to Haiti. After the Dominican Republic's authorities forbade his jet from landing, the plan to fly via that country was shelved. Since last week, he has been in Puerto Rico, a US territory.

Sec. of State Antony Blinken announced following the CARICOM summit on Monday that the US will donate $300 million to the multinational security mission headed by Kenya. In addition, he declared that $33 million would be provided for "humanitarian assistance for the people of Haiti."

The United States put pressure on Henry to negotiate a political settlement, but it's unclear who will intervene. Guy Philippe, a rebel leader who was recently repatriated to Haiti from the US after serving a prison sentence for money laundering, is one name that has been mentioned.

Henry, who took office unelected in 2021 after the assassination of Haiti's president, refused to hold elections in 2018 on the grounds that voter integrity would be jeopardized by the nation's instability. However, as Haiti descended into even greater poverty and gang violence, demonstrators had been calling for his resignation for months. His decision had just infuriated them more.

Since Henry’s trip to Kenya, Port-au-Prince has been gripped by a wave of highly coordinated gang attacks on law enforcement and state institutions, which has forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes.

Anarchy in the nation's capital

Since militants attacked Port-au-Prince, the nation's largest prison, earlier this month, killing and injuring police and prison workers and allowing around 3,500 convicts to escape, the government of Haiti has been under a state of emergency.

Jimmy "Barbecue" Cherizier, a gang leader, claimed responsibility for the assault and said the jailbreak was an attempt to topple Henry's administration.

Cherizier told Reuters last week in Port-au-Prince that "if Ariel Henry doesn't step down, if the international community continues to support Ariel Henry, they will lead us directly into a civil war that will end in genocide."

According to estimates from the UN, gangs currently hold 80% of Haiti's capital and are still battling for the remaining portion. Gangs besieged the nation's main airport while Henry was abroad to prevent his safe return.

Tens of thousands more people have had to leave their homes due to the instability, bringing the total number of people displaced by gang violence to above 300,000.

Although the country's security has gotten worse recently, Haiti has long been plagued by political unrest, drought, and ongoing violence, which has left 5.5 million people—roughly half of the population—in need of humanitarian aid.

One million Haitian youngsters, according to UN estimates, do not attend school, rendering those who reside in gang-controlled areas vulnerable to recruitment. A cholera outbreak that began in 2022 has also devastated the nation.

Volker Türk, the UN's human rights commissioner, asked for the deployment of a multinational security mission to support the Haitian police and referred to the current state of affairs in Haiti as "untenable." "There isn't a practical substitute available to safeguard lives," he declared.

A CNN team on the ground spoke with a number of citizens caught up in the nation's spiraling violence prior to the most recent incident. These individuals included women who had been sexually assaulted, women who had watched their husbands burn and die, and kids who had been coerced into working for gangs.

A 14-year-old youngster told CNN that he was forced to burn the bodies of those killed by other gang members after being recruited by them when he was just 11 years old.

"I wish to alter my lifestyle," he murmured, suppressing his tears.