The international community condemns the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse

Published on : 07/07/2021 – 17:02

Several international voices have been raised to condemn the assassination of Jovenel Moïse, on the night of Tuesday 6 to Wednesday 7 July, by armed men in his private residence.

The White House has described as “terrible” and “tragic” the assassination of the Haitian president, Washington declaring itself ready to bring aid to the country in crisis. It is “a terrible attack, a tragic attack, having targeted the president of Haiti and his wife during the night,” said Jen Psaki, the spokesperson for the executive. “We are ready to assist in any form the people of Haiti, the government of Haiti, if there is an investigation.”

The British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, for his part denounced the “odious act” represented by this assassination of Jovenel Moïse, calling for calm. On Twitter, the head of the conservative government said he was “shocked and saddened by the death of President Moïse”. “It is an odious act and I call for calm,” he added, offering his condolences to the family of Jovenel Moïse and to the Haitian population.

The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, said he was “shocked” by the assassination of the Haitian president and concerned about the risk of a “spiral of violence” in the country. “This crime carries a risk of instability and a spiral of violence,” he said in a message on his Twitter account.

“Members of the (UN) Security Council say they are deeply shocked by the assassination of President Moïse earlier today in Port-au-Prince and concerned about the fate of the First Lady, Martine Moïse, who was also wounded by bullets in the attack, “said its current president, French ambassador Nicolas de Rivière, also referring to the” sadness “of the Security Council.

According to several ambassadors, an emergency meeting of this body could be organized soon.

After having deployed peacekeepers there for a long time, the UN has only maintained in Haiti since the end of 2019 a political support mission. The United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti is responsible for “advising” and “supporting” the Haitian government in its efforts to strengthen political stability and good governance in the country.

Dominican Republic closes border with Haiti

The Dominican Republic, on Wednesday, ordered the “immediate closure” of its border with Haiti. “We gave the order to immediately close” the 380-kilometer border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, on the island of Hispaniola, Defense Ministry spokeswoman Ceinett Sanchez told AFP. .

According to Listin Diario newspaper, Dominican President Luis Abinader summoned senior army officers to assess the situation.

Relations between the two countries are historically difficult. About 500,000 Haitians live illegally in the Dominican Republic and illegal immigration is a recurring stumbling block between the two countries. President Abinader aims in particular to build a wall on the 380 kilometers of border.

With AFP