Secretary Blinken holds talks with Haitian Prime Minister

Antony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State, held a meeting on Tuesday at the State Department with Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille and Foreign Minister Dominique Dupuy to emphasize the significance of U.S. backing for Haiti's recently appointed government.

Blinken started by saying, "This is an important time for Haiti, an important time for the many countries including the United States that strongly support Haiti,"

"We have the prime minister, foreign minister, a government in place, and we have the Transitional Presidential Council which has been stood up. And we have the deployment now of the Multinational Security Support mission to help the Haitian National Police regain full control of critical parts of Port-au-Prince and the country, all of this to ensure that Haiti can return to the path of having free and fair elections and making sure that, as we move forward, the support for Haiti from the international community can go forward in the most robust way possible," Blinken added.

Conille assumed the role of Haiti's new prime minister following his selection by a transitional council last month. He arrives in Washington as he works on forming a new government to guide the country through its ongoing security challenges.

Conille thanked President Joe Biden and expressed his gratitude for the "support and solidarity" of the American people.

The U.N. children's agency reported that the new government in Haiti is ready to address the gang violence that has displaced over 300,000 children since March.

Gangs currently control 80% of the capital and major roads, resulting in over 2,500 casualties in the first quarter of the year.

Nearly 580,000 people, more than half of whom are children, have been left homeless in the past four months.

The surge in violence began in late February, leading to the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry in April.

The new Haitian leader expressed gratitude for the support from President Joe Biden and the American people, acknowledging the challenges ahead and showing confidence in overcoming them.

Authorities recently regained control of a police station in Gressier, which had been targeted by armed gangs.

The attack resulted in civilian casualties and property damage, prompting the arrival of Kenyan police officers to assist in combating criminal groups.

Hurricane Beryl, a Category 5 storm, made landfall in the Caribbean, causing fatalities and prompting warnings in Jamaica and Haiti.