Haitian President Jovenel killed in attack at home
A group of unidentified people, some speaking Spanish, attacked the home in the early hours of Wednesday
HAITIAN President Jovenel Moise was killed Wednesday in an attack on his residence, throwing the poorest country in the Americas into turmoil after months of escalating political tensions.
A group of unidentified people, some speaking Spanish, attacked the home in the early hours of Wednesday, a statement from Haiti’s interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph said, adding the president’s wife, Martine Moise, was receiving treatment after being shot.
Joseph condemned the assassination as a hateful, inhumane and barbaric act but offered no further details on how the crime unfolded, the assailants or the possible motive.
Joseph said security forces had the situation under control and appealed to Haitians to remain calm.
All measures are being taken to ensure the continuity of the state and protect the nation, the statement continued.
Democracy and the republic will win. It was not immediately clear who would succeed him as president.
Haiti has been mired in a deep political crisis for years, with protests against Moise’s rule repeatedly paralysing country. He was accused of corruption, links to violent gangs and anti-democratic measures.
Moisi, who was 53, became president in 2017, after his predecessor Michel Martelly stepped down.
The opposition accused Moisi of governing beyond his term limit - which they say ended in February - and tightening his grip on power.
After the 2015 presidential election, Moisi had been scheduled to serve a five-year term from February 7, 2016. However, the election was annulled due to fraud and Moise was only sworn in a year later after a new election.
Because he wasn’t sworn in until February 2017, Moise claimed his five-year term should end in 2022.
He had been ruling the country by decree since his administration failed to hold legislative elections in October 2019. Haiti has not had a parliament since the start of the new legislative period in January 2020.
Presidential and parliamentary elections, as well as a constitutional referendum, are now scheduled for September 26 in the Caribbean state.
Haiti is considered the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and is still living with the impact of the catastrophic 2010 earthquake that left some 200,000 people dead.
Fighting by gangs for control of parts of the capital Portau-Prince has driven almost 15,000 people to ee since the beginning of June, according to UN figures.
Some 4.4 million Haitians, of the population of 11 million, are in need of humanitarian aid. Furthermore, the number of cases of Covid-19 and deaths has also increased significantly.
In Washington, the White House press secretary condemned the crime as a tragedy. It’s a horrific crime, Jen Psaki told CNN. We stand ready and stand by them to provide any assistance that is needed ... it’s important that people of Haiti know that.