Haitian President Jovenel Moïse has been assassinated, according to government sources. Moïse was killed in his home by a murder squad on Wednesday night, outgoing Prime Minister Claude Joseph announced on Wednesday. The president's wife was injured in the attack. She was taken to a hospital. Joseph declared that he now had responsibility for the leadership of the country.
"The president was murdered at his home by foreigners who spoke English and Spanish," he said. He spoke of an "inhuman and barbaric" act. Joseph called on the population to calm down and announced that the police and army would ensure that public order was respected. However, shots were heard in large parts of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
The background was initially unclear, as was the state of health of the president's wife. "Although details are still coming out, it can be confirmed at this time that it was a well-coordinated attack by a well-trained and heavily armed group," Haiti's embassy in the US said.
US President Joe Biden condemned the killing of his Haitian counterpart as a "shameful" act. He was "shocked and saddened," Biden said Wednesday. The US stands ready to continue to support Haiti in working towards peace and security in the country. "We need a lot more information, but it's very worrying about the situation in Haiti," Biden said in the White House garden a little later, according to reporters present shortly afterwards.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres demanded an investigation into the crime. "The perpetrators of this crime must be brought to justice," Guterres said through his spokesman Stephane Dujarric. The Secretary-General called on all Haitians to maintain the constitutional order and remain united. The United Nations would continue to support the government and people of Haiti.
Videos were circulated on social media that are said to have been made around the presidential residence in the affluent suburb of Pétion-Ville. In a video, one of the attackers is said to shout in English that it is an operation of the US anti-drug agency DEA. According to media reports, the Spanish-speaking Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, closed its border with the neighboring country.
The 53-year-old former businessman Moïse was elected president in 2016 and took office in February 2017. Before his death, he had ruled Haiti by decree after a parliamentary election had been postponed, among other things, because of protests against him. The opposition accused him of corruption and the establishment of a dictatorship. Moïse had always denied the accusations and pushed for a constitutional reform with which, according to his own statements, he wanted to ensure greater political stability.
Moïse had replaced the country's prime minister seven times in four years. On Monday, he announced the appointment of the new head of government Ariel Henry, who was to replace Claude Joseph after only three months in office.
The act took place in the midst of a growing spiral of violence in the wake of increasing gang crime and an intensified humanitarian crisis in the impoverished Caribbean state, which is suffering from severe food shortages. Haiti is the poorest country on the American continent. In particular, kidnappings and ransom demands by criminal gangs are causing great uncertainty among the population.
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