Haitian President Moiz was assassinated in his home. In the eyes of the Haitian people, no matter who becomes Moiz's successor, it is the most important thing to stop the political struggle and really improve the people's livelihood.
| Author: Yi De
| Editor: Ah Ye
| Editor: Laulinger
At about 1 a.m. local time on July 7 (about 1 p.m. Beijing time on the 7th), 53-year-old Haitian President Jophnell Moiz was assassinated in his home.
A statement issued by Claude Joseph, interim Prime Minister of the Government of Haiti, said: "A group of unidentified people, some of whom speak Spanish, attacked the private residence of the President of the Republic and inflicted fatal injuries on the head of state. ”
Allegedly, a group of unidentified armed men broke into Moiz's private apartment and shot at him. Moiz died of his injuries and First Lady Martin Moiz also suffered a gunshot wound and was hospitalized.
Moiz visits Canada with his wife.
Moiz took office in February 2017. Haiti is currently facing political and economic instability, and violent conflicts are intensifying.
Joseph called the assassination "hateful, barbaric and inhumane" and said the situation was still under the control of the Haitian armed forces and police.
"Assassination of the President by Foreigners"
The official languages of Haiti are French and Creole, but 90% of the population speaks Creole. Thus, the fact that "some of the armed men who assassinated Moiz spoke Spanish" attracted attention.
AFP quoted Joseph as saying he "has taken control of the country" and blamed outsiders for the deadly attack. Joseph reportedly said: "The president was assassinated at home by foreigners who spoke English and Spanish. ”
Moiz lives in district pelerin 5. Residents near the presidential residence allegedly captured video showing the attackers claiming to be agents of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
In the video a man with an American accent can be heard saying through a loudspeaker in English: "Operation DementerOnomy, everybody is standing!" The Drug Enforcement Agency acted, and everybody stood up, stood up! ”
Sources said the attackers were not agents. A senior official said, "These are mercenaries." Local residents reported hearing the sound of bullets fired precisely at the time of the incident and seeing men dressed in black running through the community. There were also reports that grenades were heard and that drones were used.
Haitian journalist Ives said that while it was unclear who was behind the assassination, "it was clear that it was a rather complex operation".
And this is not the first time Moiz has been assassinated.
In February, Moiz claimed that more than 20 people, including an opposition-backed Supreme Court judge, had been arrested by the police for attempting to murder him and overthrow the current government.
At the time, Moiz said the assassination plot against him was foiled by the security agencies, saying: "I thank the guards responsible for the security of the presidential palace." The purpose of those people was to try to take my life... That plan was aborted. ”
The political divide is deep
Moiz was born in 1968 in Trudunnod, northeastern Haiti. In 1996, he married Martin and began business.
In 2012, Moiz, 44, founded agritrans, which operates a 2,500-acre banana plantation that produces mostly bananas for export. In the same year, he built Haiti's first and largest agroprocessing export zone in the Caribbean.
In October 2015, Haiti held presidential elections, which were eventually declared null and void after opposition allegations of fraud sparked mass demonstrations and violence. It was in that election that Moiz, who had turned from a "banana merchant" to a "newcomer to politics," was appreciated by then-President Martelli and was named the presidential candidate of the ruling Tkal Party.
In February 2016, President Martelli reached an agreement with the Speakers of both Houses of Parliament to form a transitional government before leaving office. Haiti's presidential elections, which were scheduled for April 24, 2016, were postponed to November 20 of that year due to opposition protests and the impact of Hurricane Matthew. In that election, Moiz won with 55.67% of the vote.
By January 3, 2017, Haiti's Electoral Court declared the results of the general election valid, found no widespread fraud alleged by opposition parties, and Moiz was elected president.
Moyz (center) accepts congratulations after the Electoral Court declared the election results valid in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on January 3, 2017. Image source: Xinhua Net.
On February 7, 2017, Moiz was sworn in in Port-au-Prince. Image source: Xinhua Net.
But the contradiction has not been resolved.
The Haitian Parliament is currently in a state of suspension because neither the Senate nor the House of Representatives has been re-elected as required by law. Since November 2020, Moiz has been preparing for the Constitutional Reform Commission and announcing a draft new constitution in early February, but the referendum on constitutional amendment has been repeatedly postponed.
After the arrest of the opposition in February for "assassination operations," there were massive anti-government protests in Haiti. In February, thousands of protesters took to the streets questioning the legitimacy of President Moiz's presidency. The Haitian opposition said his term should end this year, but he insisted he had another year left and postponed the scheduled elections.
The Haitian opposition refused to participate in the drafting of the new constitution advocated by the president and questioned the legitimacy of the presidency. Opposition leaders have also accused Moiz of trying to increase his own powers, including limiting the court's power to audit government contracts and the power to create intelligence agencies controlled by the president.
On 14 April, Haitian Prime Minister Jouth resigned, not disclosing the reasons for his resignation. Moiz announced via social media that he accepted Jouth's resignation, appointing Foreign Minister Joseph as interim prime minister. Moiz said at the time that the government's resignation would help resolve Haiti's internal security and political crisis. An opposition spokesman said the resignation of the government "will not change the status quo of Haiti's political crisis".
Haiti's proposed constitutional referendum has been repeatedly postponed, and there is considerable uncertainty about the scheduled parliamentary, presidential and local elections. These bring a lot of hidden dangers.
Whatever the specific cause of Moiz's assassination, this fierce political battle is an important backdrop.
Governing a "country where people don't have a livelihood"
Moiz governs a country in deep crisis.
Located in the west of hispaniola island (i.e. Haitian Island), bordering the Dominican Republic to the east, the Caribbean Sea to the south, the Atlantic Ocean to the north, and Cuba and Jamaica to the west, the Republic of Haiti is an island country with an area of 27,800 square kilometers and a population of 11.5 million, making it one of the poorest countries in the world.
Haiti was once a French colony with more than 95% of the population black, making it the world's first independent black country. In 1804, Haiti became the first country in Latin America and the Caribbean to declare independence; it was occupied by the United States from 1915 to 1934, and the Duvalier family ruled as a dictatorship from 1957 to 1986, with its first democratic elections held two years later.
In the past 10 years, hurricanes, earthquakes and epidemics have caused serious unrest in Haiti many times, and kidnapping and violent crime are now becoming more and more serious. According to the survey, there are 76 criminal gangs active in Haiti, some of them formed in a paramilitary manner, and their crimes are not scrupulous.
In April, bandits kidnapped 10 religious personnel, including two French clerics, in Port-au-Prince for a $1 million ransom and broadcast it live on social media. After 3 days, the hostages were released, and the exact amount of ransom paid is unknown.
Speaking to local reporters in May, Moiz said he was trying to assemble an anti-kidnapping team, but "it will take time."
After coming to power, Moiz promised to change the situation of poverty under the sea.
It is worth mentioning that Haiti is one of the few remaining "countries with diplomatic relations" in Taiwan.
In 2018, after being "abandoned" by Burkina Faso, a "friendly country" at the front desk, the Taiwan authorities hurriedly invited other "friendly" heads of state who have repeatedly rumored the crisis of "severing diplomatic relations" to visit Taiwan. On May 29 of that year, the first person to "fight the front" to go to Taiwan was Haitian President Moiz.
When Moiz came to power, he promised to build a new energy grid that would power 16 major cities and 10 sectors 24 hours a day for 18 to 24 months.
After meeting Tsai Ing-wen, the leader of the Taiwan region, he bluntly said, "My visit this time is to discuss with you the specific plan for future development cooperation between the two countries." In order to "maintain stability and diplomatic relations," the Taiwan authorities have spent $150 million (about NT$4.5 billion) in loans for Haiti's power construction.
Geng Shuang, China's Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, described Haiti at the Security Council's open meeting on Haiti as "politically torn, economically troubled, socially unstable, gang-ridden, pandemic-ridden, and unsatisfactory." Nearly 40 per cent of the Haitian population is insecure with basic food on a daily basis and is in dire need of humanitarian assistance. According to UNICEF, about 8,500 women and children were displaced by gang violence in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, in two weeks. The Government of Haiti and its leaders bear the primary responsibility for this disappointing and even desperate situation. The Security Council and the Secretary-General of the United Nations have repeatedly called on the Haitian government to abandon its own self-interest, respond to the expectations of the people, assume its due obligations and strengthen national governance, but this has not become a reality.
Geng Shuang said at the time that China once again urged the Haitian authorities and leaders of all parties to stop senseless political struggles, end corruption and abuse of power, advance the relevant political agenda, and create conditions and make efforts for the early restoration of national stability, the re-establishment of social order, and the realization of economic development.
In the eyes of the Haitian people, no matter who becomes Moiz's successor, it is the most important thing to stop the political struggle and really improve the people's livelihood.