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Who assassinated Jovenel Moïse? Haiti president's killing blamed on 'foreigners'

'The president was assassinated at his home by foreigners who spoke English and Spanish,' Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph said in his statement

PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI: Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in his private residence after midnight on July 7 at his private residence. The news of his death was announced by interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph, who in his statement called this a "hateful, inhumane, and barbaric act." The slain president's wife, first lady Martine Moïse, was admitted to the hospital with bullet injuries; she too succumbed to her injuries, reports said.

Joseph has announced that Haiti's national police and other authorities were working together to keep situations in the Caribbean country under control. Moïse's death comes days after he appointed neurosurgeon Ariel Henry as the prime minister of the country whose state of affairs has been in shambles for a long time. Citizens believed conditions in Haiti further deteriorated after Moïse took control of the reins.

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Who assassinated Jovonel Moïse?

Moïse was assassinated by a group of armed individuals who entered his private residence overnight and shot him dead. “The president was assassinated at his home by foreigners who spoke English and Spanish,” Joseph said in his statement. “The country’s security situation is under the control of the National Police of Haiti and the Armed Forces of Haiti,” Joseph said in a statement. “Democracy and the republic will win," it read.

Moïse's death comes days after the United States condemned the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Haiti. Violence in the impoverished country has seen an uptick as rival gangs battle with one another and the police to acquire control of the streets. On June 29, at least 15 people were killed after police union member Guerby Geffrard was murdered. Attacks against the press have been on a rise in Haiti and those murdered in the incident included two journalists, according to a Reuters report. 

"The United States is deeply concerned by the loss of life and general insecurity as a result of gang-related violence. Violence, corruption, and impunity have impeded Haiti's development goals and the Haitian people's aspirations for a better life for too long," tweeted the US embassy in Haiti after the incident.

Jovonel Moïse's term ended on February 7 this year but he refused to transfer power and planned on carrying out an electoral process that was deemed illegitimate by millions of citizens in the country, and who had been on the streets protesting against the Moïse administration for months. 

Haiti in limbo after Jovenel Moïse's death

"The Haitian president Jovenel Moïse was assassinated last night by unknown assailants, some of whom spoke Spanish. The unpopular leader has faced recurring calls to resign, along with serious protests that have left countless dead. What will come next for Haiti?" read a tweet. "God, I mean that Haiti will go from bad to worse every day? this was an act of cowardice and barbarism and this will never be forgiven. my condolences to the whole family. #Haiti #JovenelMoise" another tweet read. "The President of Haiti Jovenel Moise was assassinated early this morning. Necessary steps must be taken to control Haiti's situation and know the origin of this assassination. Democracy will prevail," read another tweet. 

It is unclear who will replace the late president. Speaking to CNN, judge Jean Wilner Morin, president of the National Association of Haitian Judges, said that the line of presidential succession in the country is murky. He explained that Haiti's President of the Supreme Court would normally be next in line, but he recently died of Covid-19. Furthermore, if the acting prime minister was to formally replace the president, it would require parliamentary approval. However, the parliament is effectively defunct without recent elections, Morin said.