The President of Haiti, Jovenel Moïse has been assassinated in an attack on his home.
This development was contained in a statement from the country’s interim prime minister, who called the killing a “hateful, inhumane and barbaric act”.
The interim Premier Claude Joseph said a group of unidentified individuals attacked Moise’s private residence overnight and shot him dead
Joseph stated that the First Lady Martine Moïse was shot in the attack and hospitalised.
The statement said “The country’s security situation is under the control of the National Police of Haiti and the Armed Forces of Haiti”.
He added that “Democracy and the republic will win.”
It is important to note that Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, was already in a precarious political situation before the assassination, having grown increasingly unstable and disgruntled under Moïse.
Reports have it that the 53-year-old Moise ruled by decree for more than two years after the country failed to hold elections and the opposition demanded he step down in recent months.
As of the time of filing this report, Joseph said police have been deployed to the National Palace and the upscale community of Pétionville and will be sent to other areas.
The Premier continued that some of the attackers spoke in Spanish but offered no further explanation.
Meanwhile, the Dominican Republic has averred that it was closing the border it shares with Haiti on the island of Hispaniola.
Local reports have it that the assassinated President, Moise has faced fierce protests since he took office as president in 2017, with the opposition accusing him this year of seeking to install a dictatorship by overstaying his mandate and becoming more authoritarian – charges he denied.
In addition to presidential, legislative and local elections, Haiti was due to have a constitutional referendum in September after it was twice postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In a swift reaction to his demise, Dubois, a professor of history at the University of Virginia, said Moise left “a mixed legacy”.
He noted that “Since his election, there have been continual problems and contestation of his legitimacy as president”.
“Adding to that, most recently the COVID crisis has been dealt with very poorly.”
