The assassins of the President of Haiti, Jovenel Moïse, were “mercenaries disguised as agents of the DEA” | Accusations by the Haitian Ambassador to the United States

In an assassination that worsens the political crisis in Haiti, President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated by armed men while he was resting at his home. The unidentified group entered the house early Wednesday morning and shot the president and his wife, who were injured and remain hospitalized. Acting Prime Minister Claude joseph pointed out that some of the attackers “spoke English and Spanish”, while in Haiti the most spoken languages ​​are French and local Creole. Later, the Haitian Ambassador to the United States, Bocchit Edmond, he said that Moise’s assassins were “professional mercenaries” who disguised themselves as agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and may have already fled the country.. For its part, the newspaper Haitian time pointed out that rumors circulate about possible links of the attackers with drug trafficking, although there is no concrete evidence.

Less than 24 hours after the assassination, the director general of the Haitian police, Leon charles, announced that four of Moses’ suspected killers were killed and two more were arrested. The police operation also freed three force officers who were kidnapped by the suspected killers, the police chief added. The Secretary of State for Communication, Frantz Exantus, he had previously confirmed the arrests on his Twitter account, adding that “democracy and the Haitian people have accused this fatal blow”.

Prime Minister Joseph declared a state of siege throughout the country and announced that the executive will be in its hands and in the hands of the Cabinet for the next 15 days until a new president is elected through elections. Joseph called on the population for calm and assured that “the security situation in the country is under control”. The crime took place just over two months before the presidential and legislative elections, elections in which Moïse could not be a candidate anyway.

State of siege and call for new elections

“We share the pain of the presidential family. We call on the population for the calm and intelligence of the Haitian people at this difficult time. My brothers and sisters know the fight led by Jovenel Moïse. He was a president who showed great courage. All sectors unite to condemn this murder, ”Prime Minister Claude Joseph said, as reported in the newspaper. Haití Gazette.

Joseph decrees a state of siege and guarantees that the Article 149 of the Constitution in force which establishes that “In the event of a vacancy in the Presidency of the Republic (…) the Council of Ministers, under the presidency of the Prime Minister, exercises executive power until the election of another president”. The election of the president who will complete the term of his predecessor, the article continues, “will take place after a minimum of 60 days and a maximum of 120 days after the occurrence of the vacancy”.

Armed attack and various unknowns

According to Prime Minister Joseph reported by a declaration, the murder took place around 1 a.m. local time when a group of armed individuals attacked Moses’ house in the Pelerin neighborhood, firing several shots. The circumstances of the president’s assassination are still very unclear.

The Ambassador of Haiti in Washington, Bocchit Edmond, indicated that, based on the records, he was able to state that it was “a well-planned attack by professional mercenaries”. The assassins appeared at the Haitian president’s residence as DEA agents, but their behavior was inconsistent with that of the U.S. agency members, Edmond said.

The ambassador explained that an investigation was underway into the fate and motivations of the murderers. “We do not know if they are gone, and if they are not in the country at the moment there is only one way out and it is by the borders because there is no planes “said Edmond. He added that civil aviation authorities reportedly detected a private plane, but movement across the border could have gone unnoticed.

The alternative information network Alter Presse stressed that journalists in the streets of Port-au-Prince a few minutes after the brutal attack did not notice the presence of police patrols in various neighborhoods of the capital. “For several months, security has not been guaranteed. Anyone who goes out in the street is exposed to the violence of armed gangs who decide, at any time, to shoot anything that moves, ”detailed the Haitian media. The streets of Port-au-Prince seemed practically empty after the assassination.

Prime Minister Joseph told Magik 9 radio that “the injured first lady, Martine Moise, is alive and receiving the care she needs” and the president’s children were also safe and sound. Later, we learn that Martine will be evacuated to Miami to continue her treatment. “It is a hard blow for the country, for the nation, but it will not go unpunished. The authors and assassins of President Jovenel Moïse will answer for their acts before the courts ”, underlined Joseph.

Political crisis and government by decree

Jovenel Moses, a former businessman who created several companies in the north of the country, his homeland, he burst onto the political scene in 2016 with a clear message of reconstruction. After winning the presidential elections, his period of government became a source of political confrontation. Moïse said his tenure lasted until February 7, 2022, but others claimed it ended a year earlier. The disagreement is due to the fact Moïse was elected with 55.6% of the vote, although the opposition denounced the fraud from the start.

Without a functioning Parliament, the political crisis worsened in 2020 and led Moïse to rule by decree, which fueled the mistrust of her figure. The assassination of the president comes very close of presidential and legislative elections, summoned to September 26th. Moses had called on the same date for a referendum to approve a new Constitution, a project that did not have the support of the opposition or the international community, which denounced that its only intention was to perpetuate itself in power.

In addition, Prime Minister Joseph was due to be replaced this week after three months in office. In the past four years, the country has had seven prime ministers. The most serious moment of the political crisis was lived on February 7, date on which Moïse denounced that the opposition, with the support of the judges, was preparing a coup d’etat.

Generalized repudiation

Governments and world political leaders have condemned the savage murder of Moses. President Alberto Fernandez tweeted: “We support the Haitian people and call for unity to restore the rule of law and democracy in the face of this heinous crime”. For his part, the Bolivian President, Luis Arce, wrote on the same social network that he deeply regretted the assassination of the President of the sister Republic of Haiti “and condemned the” acts of violence which must be clarified “.

During a press conference, Mexican President Andrés López Obrador lamented the crime of Moses and added: “We were about to send 150,000 doses of vaccines to Haiti, which is a poor city in great need. international aid. As President of the United States, Joe bidensaid in a statement that “Much more information is needed, but it is a very worrying sign of the situation in Haiti”.

The British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, we say “Shocked and saddened” and described the fact as a “hateful act”, like the Spanish President Pedro Sánchez, who called for “a call for the unity of political forces to find a way out of the serious crisis the country is going through”.