Haitian President Jovenel Moise is dead.
Gunmen suspected to be assassins killed him in his private residence Wednesday morning, the country’s interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph said in a statement.
Some of the yet-to-be-identified killers spoke Spanish, the Prime Minister said.
“The gunmen broke into Moise’s residence at about 1 am on Wednesday.
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“He was fatally wounded by the unidentified men, some of whom were speaking Spanish,” the PM said.
Joseph said the police and armed forces were in control of the situation, as he called for calm.
Fifty-three-year-old Moise was an entrepreneur-turned-politician.
Haitians had demanded that he quit office since his tenure allegedly ended in February, following the controversies surrounding his election and the actual date he assumed office.
Moise led a country of nearly 12 million, the majority of who live in rural communities.
He rose to power in 2016 after a controversial 2015 election that was annulled in 2015.
Former President Michel Martelly endorsed Moise as his successor in 2015.
Moise contested on the party founded by Martelly, the Haitian Tet Kale Party (HTKP).
He promised to continue with the policies of his godfather and promote rule of law, fund education, health care, and create jobs.
As a farmer, Moise promised to promote bio-ecological agriculture and make Haiti an ecotourism and agrotourism hub.
Marcus bears the light, and he beams it everywhere. He's a good governance and decent society advocate. He's The ICIR Reporter of the Year 2022 and has been the organisation's News Editor since September 2022. Contact him via email @ [email protected].