Hunt for Haiti president killers on, nation in a state of siege

The hunt for the assassins of Haiti President Jovenel Moise was on, with the nation under a national “state of siege”. Gunmen assassinated President Moïse at his home and wounded his wife in the early hours on Wednesday.

The killing of the president is sure to bring more chaos to the unstable Caribbean country already hit by gang violence, soaring inflation, and protests by the opposition, who accused President Moïse of increasing authoritarianism.

 After a fierce shootout with the suspected assailants in the capital, Port-au-Prince early Wednesday, four gunmen were killed by Haitian police, and two more taken into custody. The other members of the killing squad are still at large, Police Chief Leon Charles said.

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Officials have not identified the suspects or said what their motives were for shooting dead Moise and wounding his wife Martine, who survived. Haiti’s ambassador to the United States, Bocchit Edmond, described the suspects as foreign “mercenaries’ ‘ and said he, according to CNN, believed they had received assistance from Haitian nationals. Haiti officials, however, have divulged few public details on the attack.

Haiti in a state of turmoil

The country is facing extreme violence in the capital Port-au-Prince which has claimed the lives of many citizens in recent weeks, and a worsening Covid-19 epidemic. The assassination has pitched the already impoverished and violence-plagued Caribbean nation into further turmoil.

Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph declared a national “state of siege”. The UN Security Council was due to hold an emergency meeting over the crisis on Thursday, as Haiti enters a two-week mourning period for the head of state.

“We are chasing them…  either in the exchange of fire they will be killed or we will apprehend them,” said

Charles, the head of Haiti’s national police. The cops who were taken hostage have been rescued.

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

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The attack took place around 1:00 am (0500 GMT) at President Moise’s home. Shell casings could be seen on the street outside as forensics experts combed the scene for evidence. A car outside the home was peppered with bullet holes. The president’s body had twelve bullet holes in it, from large caliber rifles and smaller 9mm weapons to the forehead, chest, hips, and abdomen, AFP reported quoting a Haiti official.

“The president’s office and bedroom were ransacked. We found him lying on his back, blue pants, a white shirt smeared with blood, his mouth open, his left eye gouged out,” he said.

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Moise’s wife was first treated at a local hospital then rushed by air ambulance to the Ryder Trauma Center in Miami. She was “out of danger”, the official said. Their daughter Jomarlie was in the home during the attack but hid in a bedroom, the official said. Elaborating on the attack, the official said a maid and another domestic staff member had been tied up by the attackers, who allegedly shouted “DEA operation” as they burst in. They spoke  English and Spanish.

“This death will not go unpunished,” Joseph said in an address to the nation

(With AFP inputs)