Turmoil in Haiti after president assassinated
What happened
Haiti was in political chaos this week following the brazen assassination of President Jovenel Moïse by a squad of foreign mercenaries, at least some of whom were allegedly working for a Florida-based security firm. Authorities in the violence-wracked Caribbean country said that some 30 gunmen stormed the presidential residence at around 1 a.m. on July 7, yelling, “This is a DEA operation!” Moïse, who was in his bedroom, was shot 12 times; his wife, Martine, was wounded and flown to Florida for treatment. Police later killed at least three of the alleged assailants and arrested 15 Colombian commandos and two Haitian-Americans who said they had worked as translators for the hit squad. A Haitian-born doctor who is based in Florida, Christian Emmanuel Sanon, was also arrested in Port-au-Prince; police claimed the 63-year-old had hired the mercenaries with an eye to taking over the presidency.
Moïse, 53, was deeply unpopular in Haiti. Elected in 2016, the former banana exporter had ruled by decree since early last year— legislative elections were repeatedly postponed—and was accused of using street gangs to attack and intimidate opponents and protesters. His killing immediately sparked a succession crisis. Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph asserted that he was now in charge, but his power was challenged by Ariel Henry, a neurologist whom Moïse had appointed as prime minister two days before his death and who was set to take up the role this week. The two men are negotiating over new elections. “The last thing we want right now is a power struggle,” said an aide to Joseph.
What the columnists said
“Distrust abounds” in Haiti about the official narrative, said Ishaan Tharoor in WashingtonPost.com. People want to know how exactly an unknown figure like Sanon thought that he was going to take charge? Why did the mercenaries meet no resistance when they entered the presidential palace, and why didn’t they have a getaway plan? It’s understandable that many are wondering if this was really an inside job.
The U.S. must “get off the sidelines— immediately,” said The Miami Herald in an editorial. The Trump and Biden administration turned a blind eye to Moïse’s growing authoritarian tendencies, even as gang violence surged and antigovernment protests became weekly occurrences. Interim leader Joseph has now asked the U.S. to deploy troops to help stabilize the impoverished country, but Biden has agreed only to send FBI and Homeland Security officials. It’s not enough. If Haiti implodes, tens of thousands of refugees will seek safety in America. Biden cannot “look away any longer.”
Another American intervention in Haiti is “a terrible idea,” said Jonathan Katz in ForeignPolicy.com. Over the past century we’ve repeatedly meddled in the country in the name of regional stability, propping up brutal, kleptocratic leaders such as father-son dictators “Papa Doc” and “Baby Doc” Duvalier. If we step in again, even with noble intentions, we will only secure the power of Haiti’s corrupt elite. “Whatever the answer is to Haiti’s acute crisis, it must come from the Haitian majority.”