Residents of Haiti have survived in less than two months a political turmoil, following the shooting assassination of their president, and two major natural disasters, with more than 2,200 victims, after years of instability.
Now, his prime minister is in the eye of the dispute and the government begins to destabilize again.
"
I don't know how long the power struggle can continue
," said Robert Fatton, an expert on Haitian politics at the University of Virginia, in an interview with the Associated Press.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry was indicted on Tuesday for the murder of Jovenel Moïse at his residence on July 7 last and was prohibited from leaving the country.
Hours later, the president replaced the prosecutor who accused him
.
The tension increased on Wednesday when a senior official resigned accusing Henry of hindering the actions of the investigators.
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Rénald Luberice, who was secretary general of the Haitian Council of Ministers for more than four years, said in his resignation letter that he cannot continue under the direction of someone who is under suspicion.
"
It has no intention of cooperating with Justice, and seeks, on the contrary, by all means, to obstruct it,
" he said.
Luberice also dedicated a part of his letter to the other officials who remain in their positions.
"May each minister rise to the height of his mission at this historic crossroads," he said.
The political push comes amid
a murder investigation marked by wrongdoing, death threats and manipulation
since its inception, which has provided Haitians with few answers and has undermined confidence in the country's judicial system.
Just over a month after the death of its president, Haiti suffered a devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake and the passing of torrential Grace rains.
The struggle for power
Rival factions of the country's elite are also using Moïse's assassination to target their opponents, leading many Haitians to fear that justice will never be served for a crime that has left the nation adrift.
"They are fighting for power, and Ariel's enemies are using the judicial system against him," Pierre Espérance, a Haitian human rights activist who is independently investigating the murder, told The New York Times.
In this July 20, 2021, file photo, Prime Minister Ariel Henry, center, speaks with officials after his appointment in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, weeks after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise at his home.
[The assassination of the president of Haiti had been in the works "for a long time"]
Among the dissidents is Senate President Joseph Lambert, a former ally of Moïse, who recently
proclaimed himself interim president
in a move that has only received the support of several politicians.
The prime minister, in the crosshairs
Last week, the then chief prosecutor of Port-au-Prince, Bed-Ford Claude, disclosed the existence of
two phone calls that the main suspect in the murder
, Joseph Badio, would have made to the prime minister just hours after the attack on the president.
Based on that evidence, Claude on Tuesday ordered the judge overseeing the case to indict the prime minister.
After being indicted, that same day, the official fired Claude and appointed a new prosecutor.
Badio was fired from the government's anti-corruption unit in May and is still at large.
Meanwhile, more than 40 people have been arrested for the murder, including Moïse's security agents, businessmen, three Haitian Americans and 18 former Colombian soldiers accused of directing the assault on the president's residence.
For their part, the ex-combatants have denounced that they were tortured by the Haitian authorities.
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The arrest of Christian Emmanuel Sanon, a 63-year-old pastor and doctor living in Florida, has raised further questions for the investigation.
He is credited with a central role in the death of the president.
[A mysterious man linked to Florida accused of being the mastermind behind the assassination in Haiti]
Henry was appointed as the next Prime Minister by Moïse himself before his death
.
He has not spoken publicly on the issue this week.
He has only said that he is focused on stabilizing Haiti and that he will not be distracted by maneuvers or threats.
For its part, the prime minister's office called the travel ban illegal and "political theater," and said it had not been directly informed of the measure by the prosecutor, Bed-Ford Claude.
[In video: A drone travels through the most devastated areas after the powerful earthquake in Haiti]
"
All this is disconcerting
. We will have to wait to see if the situation settles and if Ariel Henry wins that battle," Fatton told the AP agency.
With information from The Associated Press and The New York Times.
