The Assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse edited by written by Archini Desai
Following the unexpected assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise, the country now struggles with challenging questions about the attack. From federal investigations to the hunt for the assassins, officials and civilians continue to seek answers on the true motives behind the assassination and the potential unrest that threatens Haiti. On July 7, 2021, Haitian President Jovenel Moise was assassinated at his home in Port Au-Prince. Police and security personnel estimate the time of the attack in the early morning, at which point a group of armed assassins invaded the President’s home. Security personnel found themselves in a standoff with the invaders, ultimately killing three of the assassins and apprehending two more (Hu & Dupain, 2021). Unfortunately, some members of the group were able to escape the area, prompting the declaration of a national state of emergency, as the government promised to capture the remaining accomplices. The former president of Haiti’s wife had been seriously injured
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Anvitha Mattapalli, Uday Lingampalli
and was taken to a hospital in Florida, where she was said to be recovering. While Haitian locals are still reeling from the incident, taking a look at Moise’s presidency may provide more context to the assassins’ motives. Haiti has always been a struggle of two worlds. The upper class thrived while the lower class felt the brunt of political, social and economic turmoil. Poor leadership was not unknown to the people of Haiti, and Moise’s presidency (2017-2021) oversaw many protests and mass during his tenure. Mass demonstrations were largely centered around government corruption, with the president being accused of embezzlement, and unjustifiably strengthening his position of power. Moise brought back the national army years after it was disbanded, which was a very divisive decision given the military’s history of coups and human rights violations (Angelo, 2021). Though Moise had ensured the military would not interfere in political affairs, many worried over the possibility that armed
