HAITIAN PRESIDENT JOVENEL MOISE ASSASSINATED

Haitian President Jovenel Moise was shot dead by unidentified attackers in his private residence overnight in a "barbaric act," the government said on Wednesday, stirring fears of escalating turmoil in the impoverished Caribbean nation, Andre Paultre reported for Reuters.

The assassination, which drew condemnation from Washington and neighboring Latin American countries, coincided with a spate of gang violence in Port-au-Prince in recent months fueled by a growing humanitarian crisis and political unrest.

The disorder has turned many districts of the capital into no-go zones, with analysts claiming crime gangs control 60% of the country’s territory.

Reporting for the Associated Press (AP), Ben Fox said Jovenel Moïse was a 48-year-old businessman and political neophyte when he was sworn in as president of Haiti on Feb. 7, 2017. The former banana producer inherited a nation in turmoil — one that had gone a year without an elected leader in place. He leaves it in chaos as well.

Details so far are slim. Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph said highly trained gunmen, some speaking Spanish or English, killed the president at his home. The first lady also was shot and wounded. He said police and the armed forces were controlling security.

A resident who lives near the president’s home compared the sound of the shooting to an earthquake. Bocchit Edmond, the Haitian ambassador to the US, described the attackers as “well trained professional commandos” and “foreign mercenaries.” But he did not comment on possible suspects or motives. The US condemned the assassination of Moise.

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