NEW YORK — UN Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed the establishment of a transitional council in Haiti tasked with choosing new political leadership and setting up elections in the crisis-torn Carribean country.

In a statement issued on Saturday by his spokesman, the UN chief welcomed the publication on Friday, April 12 of a decree formally establishing the Transitional Presidential Council, which is tasked with choosing Haiti’s next prime minister and Cabinet.

“[He] urges all Haitian stakeholders to continue making progress in putting in place transitional governance arrangements, including the timely appointment of an interim Prime Minister and government, and the nomination of the members of the Provisional Electoral Council,” said the statement.

Further, the statement said Guterres takes note of the functions of the Transitional Presidential Council, including working with all members of the international community to accelerate the deployment of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission authorized last year by the UN Security Council.

“He reiterates his call on all Member States to contribute to the MSS,” the statement concluded.

Amid a political vacuum, Haiti’s powerful and well-armed gangs have launched coordinated attacks on various targets since February, including police stations, prisons, airports, and seaports, resulting in the resignation in March of Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

Even as the capital, Port-au-Prince, and much of the surrounding area remains in the grip of rampaging gangs, UN humanitarians are continuing to offer emergency aid to those impacted.

Recently, the World Food Program (WFP) provided 19,000 meals to displaced civilians in Port-au-Prince, and school lunches to 200,000 children in other provinces. — UN News