President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in his private residence early Wednesday by a "a group of individuals who have not been identified, some of whom were speaking Spanish," interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph said in a statement Wednesday morning. Moïse's wife, first lady Martine Moïse, was also shot and has been hospitalized in this "hateful, inhumane and barbaric act," he added. "All measures have been taken to ensure the continuity of the state and to protect the nation. Democracy and the republic will win out." Joseph said he is now in charge of the country, Agence France-Presse reports.
Moïse, president since 2017, has faced years of protests and calls for his resignation, including during massive anti-government protests earlier this year. Among the points of dispute was whether his five-year term ended this year, as the opposition argued, or in 2022, as Moïse claimed. He also said earlier this year that his security agencies had thwarted an assassination attempt on him at the presidential palace.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Are masked ICE agents America's new secret police?Today's Big Question Critics say masks undermine trust in law enforcement
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidentsThe Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
Does buy now, pay later affect your credit score?the explainer The company behind the FICO score is going to start including a person's 'buy now, pay later' payment history in its credit models
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
Senate advances GOP bill that costs more, cuts moreSpeed Read The bill would make giant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, leaving 11.8 million fewer people with health coverage
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custodySpeed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami
-
GOP races to revise megabill after Senate rulingsSpeed Read A Senate parliamentarian ruled that several changes to Medicaid included in Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" were not permissible
-
Supreme Court lets states ax Planned Parenthood fundsSpeed Read The court ruled that Planned Parenthood cannot sue South Carolina over the state's effort to deny it funding
-
Trump plans Iran talks, insists nuke threat goneSpeed Read 'The war is done' and 'we destroyed the nuclear,' said President Trump
-
Trump embraces NATO after budget vow, charm offensiveSpeed Read The president reversed course on his longstanding skepticism of the trans-Atlantic military alliance
-
Trump judge pick told DOJ to defy courts, lawyer saysSpeed Read Emil Bove, a top Justice Department official nominated by Trump for a lifetime seat, stands accused of encouraging government lawyers to mislead the courts and defy judicial orders
