US denies visas to two members of Haiti Transitional Presidential Council

The?U.S. The?U.S. State Department announced on Sunday that it was imposing visa restrictions and revoking visas for members of the?Haiti Transitional Presidential Council and their immediate family members. The State Department said in a statement that the visa restrictions were imposed because of the alleged involvement of the council members in "gangs, criminal organizations and other criminal activities in Haiti." This included interfering with the efforts of the government of Haiti to combat gangs designated by the United States as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.

The statement didn't name any members of the council.

The embassy of Haiti in Washington did not respond immediately to requests for comments. The State Department didn't immediately respond to a request for additional information.

The mandate of the Haitian top executive, the Council, expires on February 7, 2019. There is no official succession plan.

U.S. Secretary Of State Marco Rubio spoke to Prime Minister Alix didier Fils-Aime Friday. Rubio, according to a spokesperson for the State Department, insisted on the council's dissolution as scheduled but stressed the importance that Fils-Aime remain in his position.

On Friday, two council members demanded that Fils-Aime be removed from his post.

The council was established in 2024 to supervise the first Haitian elections in 10 years. This has been

Several delays

Bloody Conflict

Between security forces and powerful,

Heavy armed

gangs. (Reporting and editing by Diane Craft and Sergio Non in New York, and Kanishka Singh at Washington; and Jonathan Stempel at Washington)

(source: Reuters)