US asks Haiti to prioritize electoral council amid gang violence and a humanitarian crisis
San Juan, Puerto Rico — US officials have asked Haiti’s prime minister to prioritize the creation of an electoral council as the country tries to rebuild its government amid rising gang violence.
“This critical step will give the Haitian people the opportunity to democratically select their leaders for the first time in years,” said Brian Nichols, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, speaking after a meeting between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille the day before.
Nichols said U.S. officials recognized that Conille has made progress in improving conditions to restore security in Haiti, but they stressed the need to establish an Electoral Council.
Weeks of coordinated gang attacks forced the former prime minister Ariel Henry to step down in Apriland his cabinet was dissolved. Gunmen seized control of police stations, opened fire on Haiti’s main international airport, closing it for nearly three months, and stormed Haiti’s two largest prisons.
Later a transitional council was established and its members appointed Conille as the new Prime Minister.
Part of the council’s mission is also to appoint an electoral commission, a requirement before elections can take place. The council’s non-renewable mandate expires on February 7, 2026, by which time a new president must be sworn in.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Blinken and Conille discussed next steps for the UN-backed contingent of foreign police aimed at curbing gang violence in Haiti. The first group of a few hundred Kenyan police officers have been deployed to help restore stability.
Criminal gangs currently control about 80% of the capital, Port-au-Prince. The upsurge in violence in Haiti has more than 580,000 displaced in recent monthsaccording to a recent report by the UN’s International Organization for Migration.
Todd Robinson, assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, said Wednesday that the U.S. has provided training and personnel to support the international mission in Haiti.
The U.S. has also provided armed vehicles, drones and other equipment to bolster the Haitian National Police during the wave of attacks. Training and equipment were also provided to the Haitian counter-narcotics unit and border police units, Robinson confirmed.
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