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President Moïse assassinated, wife hospitalised

Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated after a gang of unidentified armed individuals stormed his private residence, the country’s interim prime minister Claude Joseph said in a statement on Wednesday.

Moïse’s wife, First Lady Martine Moïse, was hospitalised following the overnight attack. ‘The country’s security situation is under the control of the National Police of Haiti and the Armed Forces of Haiti,’ the statement added.

Mr. Joseph called the assassination a ‘hateful, inhumane and barbaric act’ and said that several of the assailants spoke Spanish, but offered no additional details.

The assassination of the president comes at a time when the country’s political and economic stability is deteriorating, and gang violence is on the rise.

It should be emphasised that Moïse ruled Haiti by decree after parliamentary elections scheduled for 2018 were postponed owing to disagreements, notably over when his own tenure would finish.

Apart from the political turmoil, the number of kidnappings for ransom in the country had increased in recent months, highlighting the rising power of armed gangs in the Caribbean island. In addition, the country suffers from persistent poverty and frequent natural catastrophes.

In the recent past, the President faced fierce resistance from large segments of the public who believed his mandate was illegal, and he went through seven prime ministers in four years.

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