Gunmen Assassinate Haitian President Jovenel Moise

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

The President of Haiti, Mr Jovenel Moise, has been assassinated by some gunmen, a statement from the country’s officials have confirmed.

The leader of the Caribbean nation was killed in the early hours of Wednesday, the Interim Prime Minister, Mr Claude Joseph, confirmed.

Mr Moise, 53, was attacked in his home and his wife, Mrs Martine Moise, was injured in the process. She has been taken to the hospital.

At the moment, the police and military are in charge of security in Haiti, while Mr Joseph is now in control of the government.

For more than a year, Mr Moise had been ruling the country with a population of over 11 million by decree and his tenure was set to expire.

His stay in office had been viewed by many in Haiti as illegitimate as his term legally ended in February 2021. Already, there have been insinuations that this killing was from a coup, though this has not been asserted.

In a report by AP, the Interim Prime Minister was quoted to have said the assassination was carried out by foreign agents, who spoke in Spanish.

He has already condemned the act, describing it “hateful, inhumane and barbaric,” but assured that, “The country’s security situation is under the control of the National Police of Haiti and the Armed Forces of Haiti.”