Haiti President Shot Dead: Dominica Closes Borders, US Closes Embassy

Presiden Haiti Jovenel Moise. (Wikimedia Commons/Office of U.S. Ambassador to U.N.)

JAKARTA - Haitian President, Jovenel Moise, was shot dead by an unknown assailant at his private residence on Wednesday, July 7 at around 01.00 am local time. The Haitian government called the shooting a "barbaric act" and feared it would cause internal turmoil.

The killings coincided with a wave of gang violence in Port-au-Prince, as armed groups battled police and each other for control of the streets in recent months, turning many districts of the capital into no-go zones.

The president's 53-year-old wife, Martine Moise, was also shot in the attack but survived receiving medical treatment, Interim Prime Minister, Claude Joseph, said in a statement.

"A group of unidentified people, some of them speaking Spanish, attacked the private residence of the president of the republic and thereby injured the head of state", he said, citing Reuters Wednesday, July 7.

Joseph said the police and army had brought the security situation under control although gunfire could be heard across the crime-hit capital of 1 million people following the attack.

Haiti is politically polarized and faces a growing humanitarian crisis and food shortages, causing fears of widespread chaos to spread within the country located in the Caribbean Region.

The Dominican Republic has said it will close its border with Haiti on Hispaniola Island. Meanwhile, the United States Embassy said in a statement that it would be closed on Wednesday, due to the ongoing security situation.

The late President Moise, a banana exporter turned politician, faced fierce protests after taking office in 2017. This year, the opposition accused him of trying to install a dictatorship by going beyond his mandate and becoming more authoritarian. He denied the accusations.

"All measures are taken to ensure the survival of the country and to protect the nation", said Joseph.

To note, the late President Moise has ruled by decree for more than a year, after the country failed to hold legislative elections and wanted to push for controversial constitutional reforms.