Blinken and Caribbean leaders meet in Jamaica to debate how best to quell Haiti's violent crisis

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken huddled with Caribbean leaders in Jamaica behind closed doors to urgently help find a way to ease Haiti’s growing violent crisis

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken huddled with Caribbean leaders in Jamaica behind closed doors on March 11 to urgently help find a way to ease Haiti's growing violent crisis as embattled Prime Minister Ariel Henry faces calls to resign or agree to a transitional council.

The closed-door meeting did not include Mr. Henry, who has been locked out of his own country while traveling abroad, due to surging unrest and violence by criminal gangs who have overrun much of Haiti's capital and closed down its main international airports.

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Mr. Henry remained in Puerto Rico and was taking steps to return to Haiti once feasible, according to a brief statement from the U.S. territory's Department of State.

While leaders met behind closed doors, Jimmy Chérizier, considered Haiti’s most powerful gang leader, told reporters that if the international community continues down the current road, “it will plunge Haiti into further chaos.”

“We Haitians have to decide who is going to be the head of the country and what model of government we want,” said Chérizier, a former elite police officer leader of a gang federation known as G9 Family and Allies. “We are also going to figure out how to get Haiti out of the misery it's in now.”

The meeting in Jamaica was organized by members of a regional trade bloc known as Caricom, which for months has pressed for a transitional government in Haiti while protests in the country have demanded mr. Henry’s resignation.