WASHINGTON, United States, Jan 29, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The United States on Wednesday imposed visa sanctions of more members of Haiti's governing body on accusations of backing gangs, hoping to stop a change of prime minister amid new turmoil.

The State Department said it would either refuse visas to the United States or revoke existing visas to two members of the Transitional Presidential Council and one cabinet member, as well as their immediate family members.

"Their actions have enabled Haitian gangs, some of which are designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, to destabilize the country," State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said.

The United States did not name the members but on Sunday said it was revoking visas of two other members of the council.

The council, set up with international support to guide a transition in the crisis-wracked nation, has seven voting members.

Of them, five have sought to remove Prime Minister Alix Fils-Aime before the council's scheduled dissolution on February 7.

International backers had hoped that a new president would have been installed by the end of the council's mandate, but gang violence has picked up again.

Haiti, the Western Hemisphere's poorest nation, has not held elections since 2016 with government authority collapsing in much of the country, leading to overlapping security, health and economic crises.

The United States, Canada and European powers have all warned against replacing the prime minister before the end of the council, fearing yet another setback.

Gang violence had forced the resignation in 2024 of a previous prime minister, Ariel Henry.