Haiti's Prime Minister Ariel Henry has agreed to resign, the chair of the Caribbean group of countries has said, following weeks of mounting pressure and increasing violence in the country.

It comes after regional leaders met in Jamaica on Monday to discuss a political transition in Haiti.

Mr Henry is currently stranded in Puerto Rico after being prevented by armed gangs from returning home.

He had led the country since the former president's assassination in July 2021.

Speaking following the meeting in Kingston, Caribbean community chair and Guyana President Irfaan Ali said: "We acknowledge his resignation upon the establishment of a transitional presidential council and naming of an interim prime minister."

Heavily armed gangs have controlled the streets of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince in recent days, demanding the resignation of the unelected prime minister.

Mr Henry had been in Kenya to sign a deal on the deployment of an international security force to help tackle violence when a coalition of gangs attacked police stations and stormed two of Haiti's largest prisons.

A plane carrying Mr Henry was stopped from landing following sustained attacks at Haiti's international airport.

He has expressed a wish to return to Haiti at some point, according to the US which was at the talks in Kingston on Monday.

US Secretary of State Blinken committed a further $100m (£78m) to the 1,000-strong UN-backed security force Kenya is expected to lead in Haiti.

The proposed US contribution to the security force now stands at $300m following Mr Blinken's announcement, with a further $33m allocated for humanitarian aid. (BBC, excluding headline)

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