HAITI PRESIDENT 'JOVENEL MOISE' ASSASSINATED TODAY.{PHOTOS}.#RIP.

 

The assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise, who governed for more than four years amid increasing political instability and surging gang violence, has shaken the Caribbean nation and drawn condemnation from around the world.

Moise, 53, was killed in the early hours of Wednesday at his private home in the capital, Port-au-Prince, in what Prime Minister Claude Joseph said was “a highly coordinated attack by a highly trained and heavily armed group”.

“Haiti has lost a true statesman,” Joseph said. “We will ensure that those responsible for this heinous act are swiftly brought to justice.”  

Moise’s killing has been widely condemned by world leaders as well as United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who called on all Haitians “to preserve the constitutional order, remain united in the face of this abhorrent act and reject all violence”. 

 Joseph has sought to reassure people in the aftermath of the attack, with the Haitian authorities saying a countrywide state of emergency first announced after Moise’s killing would last 15 days as they investigate and seek out the perpetrators.

Joseph’s office also said on Wednesday evening that he was meeting with the Core Group of the Organization of American States (OAS) to discuss the political fallout of Moise’s death and wanted to reassure the international community “that he has control of the situation”.