Status: 07/24/2021 3:27 p.m.
At the memorial service for the killed President of Haiti, Moïse, shots rang out – chaos broke out. Cars were set on fire in Cap-Haitien. The US was very concerned about the security situation.
The state funeral of Haiti’s murdered President Jovenel Moïse was overshadowed by violence despite strong security measures.
At the ceremony for the 53-year-old, who was murdered around two weeks ago, shots were fired in the northern city of Cap-Haitien, and the security forces used tear gas. Barricades were erected in the city and vehicles were set on fire. Some of the mourners fled the place of burial.
Members of the government, representatives of foreign governments and diplomats had gathered for the outdoor ceremony on the grounds of Moïse’s family residence on Friday afternoon (local time).
At first, the ceremony, which lasted several hours, went off without incident. When later shots were fired outside the burial site and the police used tear gas, some participants fled the place amid clouds of tear gas.
Delegation from USA flown out safely
US President Joe Biden sent a high-ranking delegation to the funeral, including the US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield. Thomas-Greenfield later said that the delegation had “safely” arrived back in the USA. Biden’s National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, expressed “deep concern about the situation in Haiti”.
There had already been clashes in the city earlier this week when Police Chief Léon Charles inspected the security precautions for the funeral.
Moïse was shot dead by a murder squad in his home in the capital Port-au-Prince on the night of July 7th. According to the police, “26 were Colombians and two US citizens of Haitian origin”. The attack is said to have been planned by Haitians with political ambitions and connections abroad. More than 20 people have been arrested since then.
The murder plunged the Caribbean country, which was already marked by instability and poverty, into an even deeper crisis. Moïse had last ruled Haiti by decree after a parliamentary election planned for 2018 was postponed, among other things, because of protests against him.
New head of government started
This week, the new Prime Minister Ariel Henry took office. At his inauguration on Tuesday, the 71-year-old former neurosurgeon promised to do everything in his power to restore security and order. These are a prerequisite for free and fair elections.
Moïse had named Henry as the new Prime Minister as one of his last acts. After Moïse’s death, there was a power struggle between Henry and interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph, who had declared a state of emergency after the attack.
Joseph returned to his post as Secretary of State on Tuesday. Haiti has no functioning parliament and only a handful of elected senators. There is also no interim president yet.