WASHINGTON, United States (CMC) – The United States has named Henry Wooster as the new ambassador to Haiti.

“I’m pleased to announce that Ambassador Henry Wooster will take on the role of Chargé d’Affaires at the United States Embassy in Haiti beginning June 12. Ambassador Wooster has been charged with leading a whole-of-government approach to US policy on Haiti,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.

Rubio said that the diplomat will work “with our partners across the globe, who are providing critical support to Haitian security forces,” expressing his gratitude to Ambassador Dennis Hankins for his service and leadership to the mission and who has gone into retirement.

Rubio has said that Wooster has had a long and distinguished career, including service at the Embassy in Port-au-Prince, as Ambassador to Jordan, and in the US Army.

“Given his extensive background in Washington and his proven leadership record overseas, he is the right person to lead this mission at a critical time,” he added.

Last month, Rubio said Washington was re-considering its policy towards Haiti where criminal gangs are seeking to overthrow the government, with the United States also taking aim at the Organization of American States (OAS) for not doing much more to effectively deal with the crisis in the French speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country.

Washington recently designated the Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif gangs in Haiti as foreign terrorist organisations and specially designated global terrorists, adding that the age of impunity for those supporting violence in Haiti is over.

Rubio said Haiti is a country that is being threatened by 35 to 40,000 members of a coalition of criminal enterprises.

“It is basically controlled by organised crime,” he told the House Foreign Affairs Committee, adding that Washington is “undertaking right now a substantial review across the inter-agency on what options exist to tackle a country that is being taken over by a mafia, for want of a better term.”