President of Haiti assassinated: What does this mean for the country?
People around the world woke to shocking news this morning when word spread about the assassination of the president of Haiti this week. Reports across the globe told its readers President Jovenel Moise was gunned down in his home in the early hours of Wednesday morning in what many around the world call a tragic & senseless act.
The country of Haiti has had its own long list of struggles over the past few decades, and some call the latest news the most volatile disturbance the country has seen in years. As details of President Moise’s tragic passing continue to spread to political figures in different countries, leaders are making their responses known. Here’s what we found about the historical event making waves today.
Wednesday morning
Independent reported today that President Jovenel Moise was gunned down in an attack in his private home at around 1 am Wednesday morning. The president appears to be the main target of the attack, although he wasn’t the only person who faced the cavalcade of gunfire.
Moise’s widow, first lady Martine Moise, was also injured during the attack and taken to the hospital for her recovery. She was shot, but survived. Dr. Claude Joseph has now taken the political reins for President Moise as Interim Prime Minister of Haiti, and spoke on Jovenel Moise’s recent passing.
Joseph is quoted calling the assassination a “hateful, inhumane and barbaric act”. He went on to tell reporters the assassination was carried out by an unknown group of attackers during the night, mentioning some of them spoke Spanish. Haiti’s official languages are French & Haitian creole. With such a shocking event taking place in the country, many wonder what prompted the late president’s assassination.
Jovenel Moise
President Moise was sworn in as president of Haiti back in 2017, but some say his reign soon became a tumultuous one.
Independent’s report says those who opposed Moise’s leadership accused the late president of trying to increase his power “including by approving a decree that limited the powers of a court that audits government contracts and another that created an intelligence agency that answers only to the president”.
The opposition had been calling for Moise to step down since February 2021, causing a volatile reaction from the politically involved.
Haiti
World Population Review calls Haiti the poorest country in North America in 2021. The Caribbean country has faced crises across the board over the past few decades, from natural disasters to food shortages to political turmoil.
Reports say sixty percent of the population of Haiti makes less than $2 USD per day and the country is still recovering from a 2010 earthquake and 2016’s Hurricane Matthew. Moise’s assassination put the country back in focus for leaders around the world.
Response
After news of President Moise’s assassination became widespread, world leaders came to speak their pieces to reporters across the board. U.S. President Joe Biden called the attack “heinous” & “worrisome”, while French Foreign Minister Jean Yves Le Drian called the attack “cowardly”.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told reporters he was “shocked” & “saddened” to hear about Moise’s passing.
In Haiti, Dr. Claude Joseph has assured the people of his country there is nothing to fear from the recent attack. Joseph is quoted saying “The country’s security situation is under the control of the National Police of Haiti and the Armed Forces of Haiti . . . democracy and the republic will win”.
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Little word has been given in terms of what other world leaders will do to aid the situation in Haiti. Time will tell how Joseph and his allies will respond to any & all developments stemming from Moise’s death.
