Status: 07/11/2021 00:10
After the assassination of the Haitian President Moïse, his widow made public statements for the first time. She was injured in the attack and flown to Miami for treatment.
From Anne Demmer,
ARD studio Mexico City
“I’m alive, but I’ve lost my husband.” For the first time since the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, his wife speaks up. “In the blink of an eye, the mercenaries broke into my house and riddled my husband with bullets (…) without even giving him a chance to say a word,” says Martine Moïse in the audio message on Twitter.
It should not be allowed “that his blood was shed in vain”. Martine Moïse says that her husband campaigned for the expansion of the infrastructure and for elections in the autumn. It is a fight that he has waged for Haiti, it must be continued.
The message lasts about two minutes, at the end Martine Moïse breaks off abruptly. The authenticity has been confirmed by the Haitian Minister of Communications, Pradel Henriquez. After the attack, the widow was taken to a Miami hospital with serious injuries.
Many questions are still open
Something like everyday life has returned to the capital Port-au-Prince. The banks and the shops have reopened. Who the masterminds are – the motive for the murder of President Moïse is still unclear. Many wonder why the security forces were unscathed in the attack. Did you just let the attackers pass? Are you also involved in the end? There is wild speculation about this. Many people are insecure and are afraid of further chaos and violence in the country, reports a local journalist from Port-au-Prince.
According to the Haitian police, 28 foreign mercenaries carried out the murder: 26 Colombians and two Americans of Haitian origin. Others are on the run. According to the Colombian government, at least six of the alleged attackers are former members of the military.
The police staged their quick success at a press conference: 17 alleged assassins were handcuffed to the journalists. A huge arsenal of weapons was spread out on a white folding table.
Power struggle for succession flared up
Meanwhile, a power struggle for the successor to the murdered president is emerging. The chairman of the Senate, Joseph Lambert, was elected interim president. The decision is not binding, however, as the Senate has not had a quorum for a year. Because a parliamentary election planned for October 2019 was canceled due to violent protests against Moïse, among other things, there are only ten out of 30 senators whose terms of office have not expired. Nobody sits in the lower house, the Chamber of Deputies.
In addition, the interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph, who had actually been deposed by Moïse, also claims power for himself. In the past few days he has given speeches to the nation, held talks with foreign governments and declared a state of emergency. Actually, however, Ariel Henry should have officially assumed the office of Prime Minister this week. Moïse had appointed the neurosurgeon to succeed Joseph two days before his death. Henry’s swearing-in was canceled after the assassination attempt. He sees himself as the rightful prime minister.
Observers hope for unity government
The Haiti-born professor of international relations at the University of Virginia, Robert Fatton, hopes that a national unity government will be formed. In an interview with the US television station PBS he explained:
In this way, a reconciliation between the various actors in Haiti would be possible. The big question is, of course, whether we can actually achieve this. There has been no sign in the past that the opposition is moving towards President Jovenel Moïse. Now it no longer exists. There is a certain tragedy to it – but perhaps this moment opens up the possibility of compromise.
Both traditional political and civil society actors from all areas would have to be involved in this national unity government. If this project fails, chaos will break out, the political scientist fears.