Haiti President's assassination: Police kill four 'mercenaries', two others arrested

Haiti’s security forces have reportedly killed four members of a group of mercenaries who assassinated President Jovenel Moise in his home, police chief Leon Charles said. While speaking during a televised press briefing, Charles said that the police is still in combat with the assailants. He informed that the team has blocked them en route as they left the scene of the crime. “Since then, we have been battling with them,” Charles said further adding that two of the attackers had been detained and the rest will be killed or captured. 

In a separate statement, Haiti’s communications secretary Frantz Exantus said that the police have arrested the “presumed assassins” without providing any further details. Charles, on the other hand, said that three police officers held hostage by the suspected gunmen were freed late Wednesday. 

Martial law declared 

Meanwhile, after Moise was assassinated, an Emergency Council of Ministers meeting declared Martial law in the state. Acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph informed that the gunmen entered at 1:00am (local time) and called the shooting of the President a "heinous, inhuman and barbaric act", saying the attackers were "foreigners who spoke English and Spanish". He added that the situation was under control and the assassins would be brought to justice. Reportedly, a resident nearby heard the attack and said that she thought there was an earthquake because of the amount of shooting that went on.

Martial law or the state of emergency allows for banning of gatherings, use of military force for police and broadens the scope of executive powers. Joseph has asked the public to remain calm during this state of emergency. The Dominican Republic, the neighbouring country has ordered an immediate closure of its borders with Haiti. 

UNSC may conduct emergency meeting 

Authorities have closed the international airport. A number of world leaders have posted their condolences on Twitter, such as France’s UN ambassador Nicolas de Riviere, Colombian President Iván Duque, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and even UNSC has put out a statement regarding the assassination of the Haitian President. French Ambassador and President of the Security Council Nicolas de Riviere said that the UN Security Council may conduct an emergency meeting on Thursday to consider the situation in Haiti following the assassination of Moise.

Jovenel Moise had been in power as President since February 2017. During his term in office, he faced a wave of violent demonstrations in the Capital, a wave of violent acts like kidnapping, gang violence, anti-government protests, and a large number of COVID cases. The assassination occurred a day after Ariel Henry was named as the new Prime Minister by Jovenel Moise. 

(Image: AP)