Presidential murder in Haiti: At least 28 people involved

At least 28 people were directly involved in the murder of the President of Haiti, Moïse, according to police. Authorities reported 17 arrests.

17 suspects allegedly involved in the murder of President Jovenel Moise were brought before the press yesterday. Heavily armed hooded Haitian security forces in camouflage clothes show them to journalists in handcuffs. The confiscated arsenal of weapons that the perpetrators allegedly used in the attack is presented to the media on a white folding table.

According to the latest information from the Haiti police, 26 Colombians and two Americans of Haitian origin were involved in the murder of President Jovenel Moïse. Of these, 15 Colombians and the two US men were arrested, said the Haitian police chief Léon Charles in front of the cameras. Three more Colombians were killed and eight more are on the run, it said. The Colombian government announced its cooperation.

According to the Defense Minister of the South American country Diego Molano, at least six of the Colombian participants are former members of the national armed forces. “We have given orders to our police and the military that they should do everything possible to help solve this crime.”

Fear of civil war

The motive and the background for the crime are still unclear. Even a few days after the murder of President Jovenel Moïse, many streets that are otherwise clogged with traffic jams are partly deserted. Many shops remain closed. In Pétionville, where mainly upper class families live, there should have been looting, as residents of Port-au-Prince report. Art student and author Melissa Béralus is afraid of civil war.

I don’t think people’s wellbeing is now the focus of the political elite. And given the large number of criminal gangs, I fear that political actors are using the gangs to create further insecurity. I am afraid that even more weapons will be distributed in the slums.

Still, she doesn’t think about leaving the country. The teacher James Darbouze doesn’t want to change his plans either. “If the supposedly best-protected man in the country is simply being killed, why shouldn’t it happen to me? I’m worried about the security situation. But I still want to fight for social change in my country.”

Leadership disputes after the attack

Meanwhile, there are disputes over leadership in the country. The previous Prime Minister Claude Joseph quickly appointed himself interim president shortly after the death of Jovenel Moïse. He had actually been deposed by Moïse earlier this week.

So yesterday, Prime Minister-designate Ariel Henry questioned his legitimacy. In an interview with the AP news agency, he claimed the office. In an online press conference, the UN special envoy for Haiti, Helen La Lime, appealed to the political actors. The authorities, the conflicting parties must put their differences aside in order to find a way together to overcome this difficult moment, in a peaceful way, so that the people of Haiti can decide who should form the next government.

Elections should take place as planned

Haiti has been in a political crisis for years and the country is deeply divided. Corruption, mismanagement and the violence of competing gangs shape everyday life for Haitians.

Haiti’s election minister Mathias Pierre said that both the presidential election and the constitutional referendum should go ahead as planned on September 26th. “The election was not for Jovenel Moise as president. It was seen as a necessity to stabilize the country and the political system,” Matias Pierre told Reuters.

The assassination of the Haitian president has nothing to do with it. He added that preparations were well underway and millions of dollars were being spent to hold the elections.

Previously, despite the political chaos, the United States had recommended that the elections planned for September be retained. The international community has pledged its support in the political crisis. James Darbouze hopes for a political solution even without international help.