Three mercenaries stand guard ouside President Moïse residence — anonymous image shared widely by Haitians on Social Media

Haiti’s latest Coup d’État: Mercenaries assassinate President Jovenel Moïse in the dead of night

by Patrice Célestin

HaitiAction.net - Port au Prince, Haiti — On the night of Wednesday, July 7, 2021 the unexpected news appeared all over the city: the Haitian President Jovenel Moïse (PTHK Parti Tet Kale Haïtien) — whose mandate came to an end on February 7, 2021 — was assassinated around 1am in the morning at the Presidential Residence in the Pelerin 5 neighborhood near Pétionville. According to the his neighbors. It was between one and two o'clock in the morning when fleets of vehicles where circulating and shots from automatic weapons were heard everywhere in the area for some time. Suddenly, an English-speaking American voice, from a loudspeaker shouted, "Lay down your weapons, it's the DEA! Otherwise, we will kill you."

This how the events were reported by those neighbors: "The president died in front of his bed and his wife Martine Moïse was seriously injured." She received treatment in a hospital center and was flown to Ft. Lauderdale in Florida for treatment.

On the coast, the population wonders about the situation, the streets are empty, rare motorcycle cyclists pass in the roads. After various conversations the majority of the population is planning to take to the streets to demonstrate, as they have been doing almost weekly for the past few years. President Moïse was very unpopular with most Haitians who have been demanding his removal from office.

However, armed gangs which are attached to the regime (G9) are still very active and are feared to cause many clashes. In the coming hours, the country will experience huge demonstrations, all over, to demand the strict application of the constitution's Article 149 for a transitional government to lead the country. According to the amended constitution of 1987, in a similar situation, it is the President of the Court of Cassation who should serve as the transitional President. However, the President of the Court, Me René Sylvestre, died last month of COVID 19.

This may have led to the Coup d'État so that the de-facto Prime minister, Claude Joseph (formerly a GNB activist) has claimed that he is the Provisional President. The maneuver has shifted power away from the PTHK to the "Core Group."

Two days ago President Moïse announced that he was replacing PM Claude Joseph with Dr. Ariel Henry who should have been installed today. It was a significant move to appoint a new CEP and run elections where Fanmi Lavalas could potentially participate. As a former GNB activist, Claude Joseph was virulently opposed to the Fanmi Lavalas Political Organization and worked with Andy Apaid in the lead-up to the Coup d'État of 2004 that deposed President Jean Bertrand Aristide.

Currently, there is a war of words between Claude Joseph and Dr. Ariel Henry. For his part Joseph has declared a State of Siege throughout the country, which will make any public demonstration illegal.

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