Haiti President Jovenel Moise assassinated
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The President of Haiti Jovenel Moise has been assassinated at his residence overnight.
Moise’s wife was also wounded in the attack and is currently being treated in hospital.
In a statement released this morning, Haiti’s interim prime minister Claude Joseph said: “A group of individuals who have not been identified, some of whom were speaking Spanish, attacked the private residence of the President of the republic and fatally injured the head of state.”
There are some reports that a “rogue commando” was responsible for the assassination.
Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, has been engulfed by dual Covid and political crises.
Thousands marched in February through Port-au-Prince calling for Moise’s resignation.
Moise had been in a long running dispute over how long his presidential term should be, after a series of elections between 2015 and 2016.
This resulted in the Haiti President ruling by decree since 2018, with fresh elections now delayed for three years.
In an interview with the Telegraph last year he defended himself against corruption allegations.
“We’re trying to find a solution to this crisis,” he said.
“I’m not the first president to rule by decree. And I’m confident that the answer is around the corner; then the legislature will be put in place to play its role.”
He also said in a national address earlier this year that there was a plot to assassinate him.
“There was an attempt on my life,” he said.
“I thank my head of security at the palace. The goal of these people was to make an attempt on my life. That plan was aborted.”