Wife of slain president returns to Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Martine Moïse, the wife of Haiti’s assassinated president who was injured in the July 7 attackat their private home, returned to the Caribbean nation on Saturday following her release from a Miamihospital.

Her arrival was unannounced and surprised many in the country of more than 11 million people still reeling from the killing of Jovenel Moïse in a raid authorities say involved Haitians, HaitianAmericans and former Colombian soldiers.

Mrs. Moïse disembarked the flight at the Port-au-Prince airport wearing a black dress, a black bulletproof jacket, a black face mask, and a sling on her right arm as she slowly walked down the steps of what appeared to be a private plane one byone. She was greeted by Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph and other officials.

On Friday, government officials had announced that Mr. Moïse’s funeral would be held on July 23 in the northern Haitian city of Cap-Haitien and that his wifeis expected to attend.

She arrived hours after a key group of international diplomats on Saturday appeared to snub the man currently running Haiti by urging another politician, the designated prime minister, to form a government following Mr. Moïse’s killing.

Mr. Joseph has been leading Haiti with the backing of police and the military despite the fact that Mr. Moïse had announced his replacement a day before the president was killed.

Mr. Joseph and his allies argue that the designated successor, Ariel Henry, was never sworn in, although he pledged to work with him and with Joseph Lambert, the head of Haiti’s inactive Senate.

The statement was issued by the Core Group, which is composed of ambassadors from Germany, Brazil, Canada, Spain, the U.S., France, the European Union, and representatives from the United Nations and the Organizationof American States.