Haiti: President Jovenel Moïse assassinated in his home by an armed commando
According to the outgoing Prime Minister Claude Joseph, President of Haiti Young Moses was shot and killed by a commando during the night of Tuesday to Wednesday 7 July.
Haitian President Youth Moïse has been murdered early Wednesday morning at his home by a commando made up of foreign elements, announced outgoing Prime Minister Claude Joseph. "Towards one hour in the morning, on the night of Tuesday 6 to Wednesday 7 July 2021, a gang of unspeakable individuals, some of whom spoke Spanish, attacked the private home of the President, therefore fatally harmed the Head of State," the Head of State announced in a communiqué cited by France 24.
The Prime Minister explained that the president's wife was wounded in the attack and hospitalized. Claude Joseph, condemning this odious, inhuman and barbarous crime, calls the "people in calm" and ensures that "the security situation of the country" is "under supervision."
A very tense climate
Haiti, the country of the Caribbean and the poorest nation on the American continent, is being struck up by insecurity, including the abduction for ransom by virtually impunity-driven gangs. Since the beginning of June, clashes between rival gangs in the west of Port-au-Prince have paralyzed all movement between the southern half of the country and the Haitian capital. On June 30, 15 people were killed in a shooting in the very heart of Port-au-Prince, including one journalist, Diego Charles, and one opposition political activist, Antoinette Duclair.
In this context, ultra tense, Jovenel Moïse, 53, who had no experience in politics when he was elected head of the country in 2016 was strongly criticized by the civilian population, because accused of inaction.
On Monday, while the previous head of government, Claude Joseph, had not even lasted three months in the post, the president appointed a new prime minister, Ariel Henry, a 71-year-old surgeon physician. Although close to the political opposition, most political parties rejected his appointment as prime minister and continued to demand the president's departure.
Jovenel Moïse's seventh prime minister in four years, he aimed to "form a government of openness," "solve the glaring problem of insecurity" and work toward "the realization of the general elections and the referendum."
Dominican Republic closes its border with Haiti
This constitutional referendum, initially scheduled for June 27 and postponed to September 26, was wanted by the president, but widely contested by the opposition and even in the presidential camp, because the procedure is accused of not respecting the provisions of the current Constitution. The text of this constitutional reform aimed at strengthening the executive is still being drafted. Two drafts already presented proposed to abolish the Senate and to open the possibility of two successive presidential terms.
The Dominican President, Luis Abinader deplored and condemned the assassination on Twitter. He also ordered the immediate closure of the border between the two countries. "We have ordered the immediate closure" of the 380-kilometer border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola, announced Defense Department spokeswoman Ceinett Sanchez on Wednesday.
For its part, the White House condemned this "terrible" and "tragic" assassination and said it was ready to provide assistance to the country in crisis.
Source: AFP
