Attack in Haiti: murder of President Moïse – “a barbaric act”

After the attack on Haiti’s President Moïse, the background remains unclear. The murder happened at a time when violence in the country is escalating anyway and criminals control entire parts of the capital.

According to residents of the capital Port-au-Prince, the streets have been swept empty. That night, President Jovenel Moïse was murdered in his private residence in Port-au-Prince.

According to interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph, the perpetrators are said to have spoken Spanish. In the news it is switched over the phone: “We condemn this barbaric act, the murder of the president,” says Joseph. “We call on the population to remain calm. The police have security in the country under control.”

Helpers report arbitrary violence

Who is actually behind the crime is unknown. Also the exact circumstances. So far, there is only talk of a group of attackers. The violence in the capital of Haiti has been escalating for weeks, explains Annalisa Lombardo, director of Welthungerhilfe in Port-au-Prince. “Entire parts of the city are under the armed control of the criminal gangs,” she says. “The violence is partly arbitrary. Just last week they simply shot people on the street, and two journalists were killed that night.”

“It’s incredibly quiet”

Competing gangs fight for their sphere of influence in the city. Lombardo also speaks of an eerie silence in parts of Port-au-Prince. “It’s incredibly quiet, there are only a few people on the street. In the media you can see burning car tires near the presidential palace. But burning tires have actually become part of everyday life here, that’s nothing special either. We really have to wait. It is difficult to say how things are going here. ”

President Moïse recently called for more engagement from the international community and all sectors of society against insecurity. He himself was accused of corruption and close ties to criminal gangs.

Again and again there were protests against him. He had ruled by decree for almost two years. According to the opposition, Moïse should have vacated his post in February. However, he wanted to initiate a controversial constitutional referendum and elections in September and then resign in February.

Four heads of government within seven years

Just last Monday he announced the appointment of the new Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who was to replace Claude Joseph after only three months in office. Apparently, Joseph has not yet vacated his place. Moïse had changed the country’s head of government seven times within four years. The government is very fragile, said Lombardo.

“There is no political figure who could unite the country,” says the head of Welthungerhilfe. “There is no one who is able to run the country. There are a lot of rumors. It is unclear what is happening now. The country has been in this crisis for three years.”

Meanwhile, the neighboring country, the Dominican Republic, has closed the border because of the tense political situation.