Haitian President Jovenel Moise was assassinated at his home on Wednesday morning, 7 July, by a group of armed individuals. France has condemned the murder as "cowardly".
UPDATE 15h17 UT: French Foreign Minister Jean Yves Le Drian has condemned the "cowardly assassination" of Haitian President Jovenel Moise at his private residence andappealed for calm.
"All light must be cast on this crime that took place in a deteriorating political and security climate. I call on all actors in Haitian political life for calm and restraint," Le Drian said in a statement.
According to interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph, who is now in charge of the country, Moise was killed in the early hours of this morning.
Moise's injured wife is currently in the hospital following the attack.
Joseph has urged the Haitian public to remain calm, and insisted the police and army will ensure the population's safety.
"The president was assassinated at his home by foreigners who spoke English and Spanish," Joseph said.
What next for #Haiti? 🇭🇹
— François Picard (@FrancoisF24) July 7, 2021
Wednesday #F24Debate pieces together the circumstances of #JovenelMoise's assassination. It comes amid growing turmoil in the Americas' poorest nation. Whodunnit? Why now? https://t.co/WkL1Hsn7yy
Insecurity ravaging the country
Moise had been ruling Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, by decree, after legislative elections due in 2018 were delayed in the wake of disputes, including on the length of his mandate.
In addition to the political crisis, kidnappings for ransom have surged in recent months, further reflecting the growing influence of armed gangs in the country.
The president faced steep opposition from swathes of the population that deemed his mandate illegitimate, and he ran through a series of seven prime ministers in four years.
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Most recently, Joseph was supposed to be replaced this week after only three months in the post.
In addition to presidential, legislative and local elections, Haiti was due to have a constitutional referendum in September after it was twice postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The current constitution was written in 1987 after the fall of the Duvalier dictatorship and declares that "any popular consultation aimed at modifying the Constitution by referendum is formally prohibited."
