PORT-AU-PRINCE, July 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Haiti’s prime minister declared a “state of siege”, which grants the executive additional powers, just hours after the assassination of the nation’s president.
“In strict application of article 149 of the constitution, I have just chaired an extraordinary council of ministers meeting and we have decided to declare a state of siege throughout the country,” Prime Minister Claude Joseph said.
Joseph said he is in charge of the country and has imposed martial law, as Haiti’s borders and its main airport closed.
The Haitian prime minister described the attack, which occurred about 1 a.m., as “highly coordinated” by a “highly trained and heavily armed group” whose members spoke in English and Spanish.
Moïse’s wife, Martine, was injured and taken to a hospital for treatment, Joseph said. One of the president’s children, who was at home during the attack has been taken to a secure location. Martine was first treated in a local hospital before being evacuated by air ambulance to the Ryder Trauma Center in Miami.
Joseph said the national police force is in control of the situation now and has taken measures to ensure the continuity of government, as well as to secure the nation.
Joseph urged the international community to investigate the murder.
“We also call on the international community to launch an investigation into the assassination and for the United Nations to hold a Security Council meeting on Haiti as soon as possible,” he said in a statement emailed to VOA.
Joseph vowed to bring those responsible to justice.
The “alleged assassins” of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise were in custody on Wednesday, a government minister said.
“Alleged assassins of (Moise) intercepted by the National Police in Pelerin shortly before 6pm tonight,” deputy communications minister Frantz Exantus tweeted, adding that more details would be released shortly.
The attack at Moise’s private residence in the capital Port-au-Prince, which also left First Lady Martine Moise wounded, pitched the crisis-hit country into uncertainty, leaving citizens fearful as shocked world leaders called for calm.
The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Haiti around midday on Thursday, and interim Prime Minister Claude Jospeh – who is due to be replaced this week – declared a “national state of siege” granting the executive additional powers, and said he was now in charge of the country.
As international outrage spread over the killing, the airport was closed in Port-au-Prince, but witnesses said the city was quiet with the streets deserted and no extra security forces on patrol.
Earlier, Haiti’s ambassador to Washington, Bocchit Edmond, told reporters the killers were “professional” mercenaries who disguised themselves as US Drug Enforcement Administration agents.
“We have a video and we believe that those are mercenaries,” he added.
Moise had ruled Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, by decree after legislative elections due in 2018 were delayed in the wake of disputes, including on when his own term ends.
In addition to the political chaos, kidnappings for ransom have surged in recent months, reflecting the growing influence of armed gangs in the country.
Haiti also faces chronic poverty and recurrent natural disasters.
Outside Moise’s residence police and forensics experts examined bullets found in the street and searched for other evidence.
A nearby car could be seen peppered with bullet holes, its window shattered.
The capital’s streets were at a standstill, with just a handful of citizens who expressed fear and disbelief.
The country will observe two weeks of national mourning from Thursday.
US President Joe Biden condemned the killing as “horrific” and said Washington was ready to assist in any way.
“We condemn this heinous act, and I am sending my sincere wishes for First Lady Moise’s recovery,” Biden said in a statement.
Washington also called for Haiti to proceed with the elections, with State Department spokesman Ned Price saying a fair vote would “facilitate a peaceful transfer of power to a newly elected president.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Haitians to “remain united” and “reject all violence.”
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned of “risk of instability and a spiral of violence.”
The killing comes days after Moise appointed Ariel Henry, a neurosurgeon who studied in France, as Haiti’s new prime minister.
Henry, 71, is close to the opposition, but his appointment was not welcomed by the majority of opposition parties, who had continued to demand the president step down.
The Dominican Republic ordered the immediate closure of its border with neighboring Haiti after the assassination. — NNN-AGENCIES
