Haitian President Jovenel Moise shot dead

The president of Haiti, Jovenel Moise (53), was killed this Wednesday by armed men who raided his residence in the early morning in the Pelerin district of Port-au-Prince, Prime Minister Claude Joseph reported.

The first lady, Martine Moise, who is receiving medical treatment, was shot and wounded during the assault, according to a statement signed by Joseph.

“This very morning, at one in the morning, July 7th a group of unidentified people, who spoke Spanish and English, they assassinated the President of the Republic. The president died of his injuries, ”said the acting prime minister.

Joseph called for calm in the population and assured that the “The country’s security situation is under control” and condemned the assassination, which he described as “an act of barbarism”.

Assassination in the middle of the electoral process

The murder takes place two months before the presidential and legislative elections called for September 26, elections for which Moise could not be a candidate.

Moise had summoned for the same date a referendum to approve a new constitution, a project that did not have the support of the opposition or the international community.

Haiti has been going through a strong political crisis since mid-2018 and experienced its most serious moment on February 7, when Moise denounced that the opposition, with the support of the judges, was preparing a coup.

At the same time, Haiti is going through a deep security crisis, aggravated especially since the beginning of June by territorial struggles between armed gangs vying for control of the poorest neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince.

EFE

AP / AFG