{"id":188416,"date":"2021-07-12T12:00:35","date_gmt":"2021-07-12T11:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=188416"},"modified":"2021-07-08T06:18:29","modified_gmt":"2021-07-08T05:18:29","slug":"haiti-in-upheaval-president-moise-assassinated-at-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2021\/07\/haiti-in-upheaval-president-moise-assassinated-at-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Haiti in Upheaval: President Mo\u00efse Assassinated at Home"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_188420\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/haiti-jovenel.jpeg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-188420\" class=\"wp-image-188420\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/haiti-jovenel.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"334\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/haiti-jovenel.jpeg 1000w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/haiti-jovenel-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/haiti-jovenel-768x512.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-188420\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">FILE &#8211; In this Feb. 7, 2020 file photo, Haitian President Jovenel Moise arrives for an interview at his home in Petion-Ville, a suburb of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Mo\u00efse was assassinated in an attack on his private residence early Wednesday, July 7, 2021, and first lady Martine Mo\u00efse was shot in the overnight attack and hospitalized, according to a statement from the country\u2019s interim prime minister. (AP Photo\/Dieu Nalio Chery, File)<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em>8 Jul 2021 &#8211; <\/em>A squad of gunmen assassinated Haitian President Jovenel Mo\u00efse and wounded his wife in an overnight raid on their home Wednesday [7 Jul], with police killing four suspects and arresting two others hours later amid growing chaos in a country already enduring gang violence and protests of his increasingly authoritarian rule.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">Three police officers held hostage by the suspected gunmen were freed late Wednesday after police surrounded a house where some of the suspects were hiding, said L\u00e9on Charles, chief of Haiti\u2019s National Police.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph said the police and military were in control of security in Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas where a history of dictatorship and political upheaval have long stymied the consolidation of democratic rule.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">In an interview with The Associated Press, Joseph called for an international investigation into the assassination, said that elections scheduled for later this year should be held and pledged to work with Mo\u00efse\u2019s allies and opponents alike.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">\u201cWe need every single one to move the country forward,\u201d Joseph said. He alluded to enemies of the president, describing him as \u2019\u2019a man of courage\u2033 who had opposed \u2019\u2019some oligarchs in the country, and we believe those things are not without consequences.\u2033<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">Despite Joseph\u2019s assurances that order would prevail, there was confusion about who should take control and widespread anxiety among Haitians. Authorities declared a \u201cstate of siege\u201d in the country and closed the international airport.<\/p>\n<div class=\"relatedStory-0-2-60 Component-block-0-2-55\">\n<div class=\"intro-0-2-61\" style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>More on the assassination:<\/em><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul class=\"list-0-2-62\">\n<li class=\"relatedStory-0-2-63\"><em><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/caribbean-haiti-assassinations-health-coronavirus-pandemic-245fe2001493254dce71153b5266425a\" class=\"link-0-2-64\" >\u2013 EXPLAINER: Assassination threatens more chaos for Haiti<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<li class=\"relatedStory-0-2-63\"><em><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/haiti-084b1209a7509952547b38cd90b08e22\" class=\"link-0-2-64\" >\u2013 Jovenel Mo\u00efse, Haiti&#8217;s embattled president, killed at 53 <\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<li class=\"relatedStory-0-2-63\"><em><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/haiti-president-jovenel-moise-killed-world-reaction-ca3089df1bde78e93739e607ba87f8ad\" class=\"link-0-2-64\" >\u2013 Haitian leader&#8217;s killing draws condemnation, calls for calm<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">The normally bustling streets of the capital, Port-au-Prince, were empty Wednesday. Sporadic gunshots were heard in the distance, public transportation was scarce, and some people searched for businesses that were open for food and water.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">Bocchit Edmond, the Haitian ambassador to the United States, said the attack on the 53-year-old Mo\u00efse \u201cwas carried out by foreign mercenaries and professional killers \u2014 well-orchestrated,\u201d and that they were masquerading as agents of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The DEA has an office in the Haitian capital to assist the government in counternarcotics programs, according to the U.S. Embassy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">Joseph said the heavily armed gunmen spoke Spanish or English, but gave no further details.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">Mo\u00efse\u2019s wife, Martine, was in stable but critical condition and was being moved to Miami for treatment, Edmond said in Washington.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">Haiti has asked the U.S. government for assistance with the investigation, he said, adding that the assassins could have escaped over the land border to the Dominican Republic or by sea.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">The Dominican Republic said it was closing the border and reinforcing security in the area, describing the frontier as \u2033completely calm.\u2033<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">Haiti appeared to be heading for fresh volatility ahead of general elections later this year. Mo\u00efse had been ruling by decree for more than a year after failing to hold elections, and the opposition demanded he step down in recent months, saying he was leading it toward yet another grim period of authoritarianism.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">It was a testament to Haiti\u2019s fragile political situation that Joseph, a protege of Mo\u00efse who was only supposed to be prime minster temporarily, found himself in charge.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">But Haiti appears to have few other options. The Supreme Court\u2019s chief justice, who might be expected to help provide stability in a crisis, died recently of COVID-19.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">The main opposition parties said they were greatly dismayed about the killing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">\u201cIn this painful circumstance, the political forces of the opposition condemn with utmost rigor this heinous crime that is at odds with democratic principles,\u201d their statement said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">The parties added that they hope the National Police will take all necessary measures to protect lives and property, and they called on Haitians to be \u201cextremely vigilant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">Joseph is likely to lead Haiti for now, though that could change in a nation where constitutional provisions have been erratically observed, said Alex Dupuy, a Haiti-born sociologist at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">The best scenario would be for the acting prime minister and opposition parties to come together and hold elections, Dupuy said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">\u201cBut, in Haiti, nothing can be taken for granted. It depends how the current balance of forces in Haiti plays out,\u201d he said, describing the situation as dangerous and volatile. Haiti\u2019s police force is already grappling with a recent spike in violence in Port-au-Prince that has displaced more than 14,700 people, he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">Former President Michel Martelly, whom Mo\u00efse succeeded, called the assassination \u201ca hard blow for our country and for Haitian democracy, which is struggling to find its way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">U.S. President Joe Biden said he was \u201cshocked and saddened to hear of the horrific assassination,\u201d and condemned \u201cthis heinous act.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">\u201cThe United States offers condolences to the people of Haiti, and we stand ready to assist as we continue to work for a safe and secure Haiti,\u201d Biden said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned the assassination and stressed that \u201cthe perpetrators of this crime must be brought to justice,\u201d U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. The Security Council scheduled an emergency closed meeting on Haiti for Thursday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">Governments in Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe and elsewhere also expressed their concern at Haiti\u2019s plight.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">A resident who lives near the president\u2019s home said she heard the attack.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">\u201cI thought there was an earthquake, there was so much shooting,\u201d said the woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity because she fears for her life. \u201cThe president had problems with many people, but this is not how we expected him to die.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">The U.S. Embassy in Haiti said it was restricting U.S. staff to its compounds and closed the embassy Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">It\u2019s too early to know exactly what will happen next, said Jonathan Katz, who previously covered Haiti for the AP and wrote a book about the country\u2019s devastating earthquake.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">\u201cWe don\u2019t know who did this, what their end game is, what else they have planned,\u201d he said, noting that Mo\u00efse had a long list of enemies. \u201cThere were a lot of people who wanted him gone. And there were a lot of people whom he wanted gone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">\u201cIt seems to be a pretty well-financed operation,\u201d he said, adding it could take days to piece together what happened. \u201cThat\u2019s the question: Who\u2019s behind it and what do they want?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">Mo\u00efse was killed a day after he nominated Ariel Henry, a neurosurgeon, as the new prime minister. Joseph took over the job of interim prime minister in April following the resignation of the previous premier, Joseph Jouthe \u2014 the latest in a revolving door of prime ministers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">In the AP interview, Joseph said he had spoken three times with Henry and that there was agreement he was in charge for now.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">\u201cHe was actually designated but never took office,\u201d Joseph said of Henry. \u201cI was the one who was a prime minister, who was in office. This is what the law and the constitution says.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">However, in a separate AP interview, Henry appeared to contradict Joseph. \u201cIt\u2019s an exceptional situation. There is a bit of confusion,\u201d he said. \u201cI am the prime minister in office.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">Haiti\u2019s economic, political and social woes have deepened recently, with gang violence spiking in Port-au-Prince, inflation spiraling, and food and fuel becoming scarcer in a country where 60% of the population makes less than $2 a day. These troubles come as Haiti is still trying to recover from the devastating 2010 earthquake and Hurricane Matthew in 2016.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">Opposition leaders accused Mo\u00efse of seeking 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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">He had faced large protests in recent months that turned violent as opposition leaders and their supporters rejected his plans to hold a constitutional referendum with proposals that would strengthen the presidency.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">In recent months, opposition leaders demanded he step down, arguing that his term legally ended in February 2021. Mo\u00efse and supporters maintained that his term began when he took office in early 2017, following a chaotic election that forced the appointment of a provisional president to serve during a year-long gap.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">In May, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced an 18-month extension of temporary legal status for Haitians living in the U.S., citing \u201cserious security concerns (in Haiti), social unrest, an increase in human rights abuses, crippling poverty, and lack of basic resources, which are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\">The reprieve benefited an estimated 100,000 people who came after the devastating 2010 earthquake and are eligible for Temporary Protected Status, which gives haven to people fleeing countries struggling with civil strife or natural disasters.<\/p>\n<div id=\"se0:f88fa950-ca70-11eb-cbec-bf51a4b2c35c\" class=\"social-embed Component-embed-0-2-65 Component-block-0-2-55\">___________________________________________<\/div>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\"><em>This story has been updated to correct that Mo\u00efse ruled by decree for more than a year, not more than two years.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-59 Component-p-0-2-50\"><em>Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico. <\/em>Associated Press<em> writers Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations, Joshua Goodman in Miami and Ben Fox in Washington contributed.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/haiti-president-jovenel-moise-killed-b56a0f8fec0832028bdc51e8d59c6af2\" >Go to Original &#8211; apnews.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>8 Jul 2021 &#8211; A squad of gunmen assassinated Haitian President Jovenel Mo\u00efse and wounded his wife in an overnight raid on their home Wednesday [7 Jul], with police killing four suspects and arresting two others hours later amid growing chaos in a country already enduring gang violence and protests of his increasingly authoritarian rule.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":188420,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[975,541],"class_list":["post-188416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latin-america-and-the-caribbean","tag-haiti","tag-latin-america-caribbean"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188416","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=188416"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188416\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/188420"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=188416"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=188416"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=188416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}