Uncertainty Looms Over Haiti’s Future After Mysterious Assassination Of Its President

Although Haiti is already facing long months of protests and an economic depression throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the country, being one the most impoverished nation worldwide and the poorest nation in the Americas is now facing even deeper chaos.

The country’s President, Jovenel Moïse, was assassinated after a group of men stormed his residence in the capital of Port-au-Prince, shooting him to death. Moïse’s wife, Martine, the first lady of Haiti, was also severely injured, yet is now in stable condition after flying to Florida for treatment.

The attack occurred in the early hours of Wednesday on the 7th of July. Residents have witnessed and helped the national police arrest several of the alleged gunmen who were associated with the assassination of the President. Prime Minister Claude Joseph described that Haiti was in incomplete shock after the murder of the president. He also mentioned that the gunmen were foreigners who spoke both English and Spanish.

However, the official languages of Haiti are French and Creole. It was later confirmed that there were Haitians among the suspects. Police mentioned that the attackers included 28 people, of which 26 of them are Colombians, and two are Haitian Americans. Thus, according to the country’s police chief, 15 of the Colombian and two Haitian Americans were captured, four were killed, and the rest are still on the run.

It remains unclear who was responsible for organizing the attack and with what purpose. The aftermath led angry citizens who demanded justice to set three of the fire suspects’ cars on fire and had joined the police in tracking the search of the gunmen.

Additionally, Ambassador of Haiti Bocchit Edmond mentioned on the NTN4 that the gunmen were apparently paid to assassinate the president. The group also disguised themselves as US drug agents, a statement to which Edmond believed was indeed not true.

With the aim to stabilize the country, the Haitian government requested US troops on Friday to aid protection infrastructure, airports, energy systems, and ports. While the US will not offer troops, it mentioned sending Department of Homeland Security officials and FBI to Haiti to assist in the investigation.

Haiti is by all means facing severe concerns, and it is unclear what is to come for the future of the people in the county. Even before the pandemic, the economy had been diminishing. According to the World Bank, approximately 60% of the population live currently in poverty.

The question is who will now replace the late president and take charge of Haiti. The answer is that it is currently not clear as the line of presidential succession in the country is dim. Mr. Moïse had constantly failed throughout his presidency to hold elections both at local and international levels, leaving much of the governing infrastructure of the country empty while also meaning that he had been ruling by decree.