The president of Haiti is shot dead

Acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph said Haitian President Juan Jolie Moyes was assassinated this Wednesday by gunmen who attacked his home in the early hours of the morning in the vicinity of Port-au-Prince Belarus.

The first woman, Martin Moyes, who was receiving medical treatment, was shot dead in the attack, according to a report Joseph read on the radio.

“This morning, July 7, at about one o’clock in the morning, an unidentified group speaking in Spanish and English assassinated the president. The president died of his injuries,” the acting prime minister said.

Joseph called on the people to calm down and promised that “the security situation in the country is under control” and condemned the massacre, which he described as a “barbaric act”.

The assassination comes two months before the next Sept. 26 call for presidential and assembly elections, in which Moise could not be a candidate.

On the same day, Moyes called for a referendum on a new constitution, which did not have the support of the opposition or the international community.

Haiti has been experiencing a strong political crisis since mid-2018, enjoying its most intense moment on February 7, when Moyes denounced the opposition plotting with the support of the judges.

At the same time, Haiti is facing a deeper security crisis, particularly exacerbated by regional struggles between armed groups competing to control the poorer areas of Port-au-Prince since early June.