US asks Haiti to prioritize electoral council amid gang violence and a humanitarian crisis WSB-TV Channel 2 [Video]

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — (AP) — U.S. officials have asked Haiti’s prime minister to prioritize the establishment of an electoral council as the country strives to rebuild its government amid rampant gang violence.

“This critical step toward will give the Haitian people an opportunity to select their leaders democratically for the first time in years,” said Brian Nichols, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, who spoke after a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille the day before.

Nichols said that U.S. officials acknowledged Conille’s progress in improving conditions to restore security in Haiti, but they emphasized the need to establish an electoral council.

Weeks of coordinated attacks by gangs forced former Prime Minister Ariel Henry to resign in April, and his Cabinet was dissolved. Gunmen took control of police stations, opened fire on the main international airport that remained closed for nearly three months and stormed Haiti’s …