The President of Haiti, A Strong Opponent of China, Has Been Assassinated

President Jovenel Mose was assassinated in the early morning of Wednesday; this assassination was carried out by alleged paramilitary forces in a brutal and inhumane attack, according to departing Haitian Prime Minister Claude Joseph.

Throughout the wake of the tumultuous 2015 elections, Mose stepped in as a stand-in leader for incumbent Michel Martelly. Mose stated that his tenure started in 2017, rendering him the rightful leader until 2022.

However, he was met with opponents who stated that his tenure had already ended this year; these opponents then labeled Mose a tyrant. In February, opposition politicians sought to install a substitute president, 72-year-old judge Joseph Mécène; although Mécène garnered no worldwide support and issued no substantial public statements since his supposed election.

There Might Be Something Darker Here

Mose faced rising requests from Haiti corporate executives to consider developing ties with China, as well as demands from opposition figures to resign. Haiti is among the few countries in the world that still recognize Taiwan’s independence and maintains close ties with the island republic.

Beijing maintains no official connections with nations that recognize Taiwan under the Maoist Party’s One China policy. Haiti’s envoy to Taiwan, in a statement with Taiwan News, published Wednesday, stated that Mose respected the diplomatic connection; the statement also confirmed he had no intentions of taking massive Chinese credit proposals to end Haiti’s ties with Taiwan.

Following three months in power, Prime Minister Joseph was set to step down. On Monday, Mose confirmed the choice of Ariel Henry as his seventh Prime Minister. Joseph had complimented Henry and had made no indication that the two were at odds.

The Details

According to Haiti Libre, Joseph’s remark to the Haitian community, a cohort of unknown persons, many of whom had spoken Spanish, assaulted the personal home of the President of the Republic.

This assault therefore fatally injured the Head of Government at about 1 a.m. this morning. The First Lady, who was struck by a bullet, is getting the medical attention she needs.

The killing was described by Joseph as heinous, inhumane, and cruel, and he encouraged the population to stay calm. The crisis was also said to be underhand in the report.

Officials have blocked aircraft that left before the assassination from landing; in an attempt to block the assassins from leaving, the airport has been closed and all air travel has been banned.

The president’s one child, as well as the First Lady Martine Mose, was there during the assault, but were allegedly unharmed. Mose was 53 years old when he died.

In his announcement, Joseph declared himself to be the nation’s leader. At the time of publication, Mécène had made no public declarations or attempted to assert his claims to the office in any manner.

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