The Assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse

By Archini Desai, Edited by Anvitha Mattapalli & Uday Lingampalli, Layout by Leesha Pilla, Art by Sahithi Lingampalli, & Blogged by Kavya Gurunath

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 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 forces would be used to retaliate against government opponents.

Similarly, in the fall of 2020, the Haitian government published public orders that modified the interpretation of what may be considered terrorism, and established a national intelligence and surveillance agency. The president would personally select officials that would lead the agency, and under this new interpretation of terrorism, actions such as robbery or causing public disruption would also be included (Johnston & Paulemon, 2020). Such changes gave the government more power to prosecute civilians over what they deem appropriate.

These events during Moise’s presidency only scratch the surface of what his government has been accused of. Moise’s presidency term was supposed to end in February 2021, but he effectively delayed the new presidential election and actively sought ways to prolong his term. For months before the assassination, Haitians protested in opposition to Moise’s actions and demanded his resignation as president.

In regards to the aftermath of Moise’s assassination, 28 people were suspected of partaking in the attack as of the week of July 7. Around 17 suspects have been caught since the assasination. Police and security officials are still searching for the remaining five assassins that have not been caught. Among these detained, killed and wanted individuals, multiple are suspected to be Colombian and U.S. citizens.

As of July 12, one of the latest suspects has been identified to be Christian Emmanuel Sanson, a Hatian American doctor based in Florida. According to the New York Times, “...a university professor who met with the doctor...said that he had spoken then of being sent by God to take over Haiti’s presidency.” Acquaintances of Sanson and the Haitian diaspora were surprised he was suspected because he was not well-known, but he has spoken out against corruption in the Haitian government before.

Due to the nature of investigations, many aspects of the attack are still shrouded in mystery and left without definitive answers. New suspects continue to emerge, and these are only the beginnings of a much larger, more aggressive effort.

While investigations are ongoing, the presence of a power vacuum continues to worry officials and citizens across Haiti. The streets largely remain empty in fear of potential violence and unrest. Haiti had already been in poor social, economic and political standing before the assassination, and so this unexpected turn of events only further jeopardizes the wellbeing of the country.

References

Angelo, P. 2021. The Assasination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise: What to Know. Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved from: https://www.cfr.org/in-brief/assassination-haitian-president-jovenel-moise-what-know

Hu, C., & Dupain, E. 2021. Haiti on edge as the theories about President’s assassination fill the vacuum. CNN. Retrieved from: https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/10/americas/haiti-moise-assassination-uncertainty-intl-hnk-cmd/index.html

The New York Times. 2021. Haitian Officials Say U.S.-Based Suspect in President’s Killing Was Seeking Power. The New York Times. Retrieved From: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/07/12/world/jovenel-moise-assassinated

Johnston, J., & Paulemon, K. 2020. What’s in Haiti’s New National Security Decrees: An Intelligence Agency and an Expanded Definition of Terrorism. Center For Economic and Policy Research. Retrieved from: https://cepr.net/whats-in-haitis-new-national-security-decrees-an-intelligence-agency-and-an-expanded-definition-of-terrorism/

By Sahithi Lingampalli