Martine Moïse, widow of the President of Haiti assassinated Wednesday (9), Jovenel Moïse, made this Saturday (10) her first public statements since the attack and asked that her country not “go astray”.
Martine’s speech comes three days after she was airlifted to a Miami hospital to recover from serious injuries sustained in Wednesday morning’s attack when gunmen broke into the private home of the family in Port-au-Prince.
“I’m alive, thank God,” Martine said in a Creole audio message posted on her Twitter account. The Haitian Minister of Culture and Communications, Pradel Henriquez, confirmed to the AFP news agency that this is an authentic recording.
“In the blink of an eye, the mercenaries entered my house and strafed my husband. […] without even giving him the opportunity to say a word, “she said.
According to Haitian authorities, a squad of 28 men (26 Colombians, many of them retired soldiers, and two Haitian American citizens) invaded the residence and opened fire on the couple.
Security forces arrested 17 suspects and killed at least three others. The remaining suspects are still at large, police say.
So far, the reason for the attack is unclear and authorities are trying to find out who was responsible for the murder.
Martine cited several possible reasons: she said the killers were sent by people unhappy with her husband’s plans to provide “roads, water and electricity, a referendum [constitucional] and elections at the end of the year “.
She suggested that those behind the assassination might “not want to see a transition in the country.”
“I am crying for sure, but we cannot let the country go astray,” he said. “We can’t let your blood [de Jovenel Moïse] […] was poured in vain “.
The assassination of the president aggravates the institutional crisis in which Haiti is plunged. Moise, who had all but disqualified Congress and ruled the country by decree, remained in power despite opponents saying his term should have ended last February.
On the president’s death, acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph took command of the country and declared a state of siege for two weeks, a move that expands the powers of the executive. Joseph is expected to be in charge of holding legislative and presidential elections scheduled for September.
The Haitian government on Friday requested (9) that the United States and the UN send military troops to help protect key elements of local infrastructure, such as the airport and gas tanks.
The US government has not confirmed sending troops, but the White House has said it will send FBI and Department of Homeland Security agents, as well as Covid vaccines to the only country in the Americas that does not has not yet started to vaccinate its population.
The request to the UN recalls the Minustah, a mission that brought together, between 2004 and 2017, troops to try to stabilize Haiti. The operation played a leading role in Brazil, which, with the exception of short intervals, commanded an international contingent that reached more than 7,000 troops from 22 countries.