Haiti declares ‘state of seige’ after president assassinated
Police kill four suspects after attack by gunmen claiming ‘DEA operation’ in English
Haiti police have killed four suspects and arrested two more after a squad of gunmen assassinated Haitian President Jovenel Mo¨ıse and wounded his wife in an overnight raid on their home yesterday.
Three police officers held hostage by the suspected gunmen were freed, said Le´on Charles, chief of Haiti’s National Police.
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.
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¨ıse’s allies and opponents alike.
“We need every single one to move the country forward,” Joseph said.
He alluded to enemies of the president, describing him as “a man of courage” who had opposed “some oligarchs in the country, and we believe those things are not without consequences.”
Despite Joseph’s assurances that order would prevail, there was confusion about who should take control and widespread anxiety among Haitians. Authorities declared a “state of siege” in the country and closed the international airport.
The normally bustling streets of the capital, Port-au-Prince, were empty yesterday.
Sporadic gunshots were heard in the distance, public transportation was scarce, and some people searched for businesses that were open for food and water.
Bocchit Edmond, the Haitian ambassador to the United States, said the attack on the 53-year-old Mo¨ıse “was carried out by foreign mercenaries and professional killers — wellorchestrated,” and that they were masquerading as agents of the US Drug Enforcement Administration. The DEA has an office in the Haitian capital to assist the government in counternarcotics programmes, according to the US Embassy.
Joseph said the heavily armed gunmen spoke Spanish or English, but gave no further details.
Mo¨ıse’s wife, Martine, was in stable but critical condition and was being moved to Miami for treatment, Edmond said in Washington.
The assassination of Mo¨ıse has plunged the fragile nation into chaos. All borders have been closed, martial law has been declared and an official “state of siege” was announced.
Reports from the capital, Port-auPrince, suggest a gang of “armed commandos” arrived at the affluent suburb of Pe`lerin in a convoy of SUVs at around 1am yesterday. Explosions and bursts of gunfire rang out across the area shortly afterwards.
A video seen by The Daily Telegraph, but not independently verified, shows one person shouting through a loudspeaker in English: “This is a DEA operation! Everybody stand down! DEA operation! Everybody back up, stand down!”
The DEA, America’s Drug Enforcement Administration, said it had no involvement in the attack.
Haiti, which has a population of 11 million and is the poorest nation in the western hemisphere, has struggled to achieve stability since the fall of the Duvalier dictatorship in 1986.
It has grappled with a series of coups and foreign interventions.
After taking office as president in 2017, Mo¨ıse, a banana exporterturned-politician, faced fierce protests over corruption allegations and his management of the economy.
This year, opposition leaders accused him of seeking to install a dictatorship by overstaying his mandated time in office.
Mo¨ıse had ruled by decree for more than a year after the country failed to hold legislative elections.