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Police stand near a mural of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse near the leader’s residence, where he was killed by gunmen in the wee hours of the morning in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Wednesday.

Joseph Odelyn / AP


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Police stand near a mural of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse near the leader’s residence, where he was killed by gunmen in the wee hours of the morning in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Wednesday.

Joseph Odelyn / AP

Why did heavily armed men shoot the President of Haiti? Police say they killed four suspects in a tense hostage situation and arrested two more, but who the suspects are and their motives remain a mystery.

The Haitian authorities reacted quickly to the attack: arresting suspected armed men, closing borders and instituting martial law.

Jovenel Moïse was killed at his home early Wednesday, authorities said. His wife and Haiti’s first lady, Martine, was also shot and wounded. She was reportedly in stable but critical condition and was sent to Miami for treatment.

Police say some suspects have been killed or arrested

Just hours after the attack on Moïse’s home, the Haitian police chief announced that following what appeared to be a hostage-taking, four suspects had been fatally shot by police and two others arrested.

Leon Charles, the police chief, said three policemen were held hostage but have since been released. Authorities are still prosecuting some suspects, he said.

Security forces are investigating as a soldier stands guard at the entrance to the Haitian president’s residence in Port-au-Prince on Wednesday.

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Security forces are investigating as a soldier stands guard at the entrance to the Haitian president’s residence in Port-au-Prince on Wednesday.

Joseph Odelyn / AP

Charles called the gunmen in the murder of Moses “mercenaries.” They did not disclose the names, nationalities or other information about the suspects.

Bocchit Edmond, Haiti’s ambassador to the United States, said the attackers were posing as agents of the US Drug Enforcement Administration, who were likely able to enter Moses’ home using this identity.

Edmond said the president’s murder was carried out “by well-trained professionals, killers, commandos” speaking Spanish. There are other reports that the gunmen also spoke English. The main languages ​​of Haiti are French and Creole.

Prime Minister declares “state of siege”

Joseph, the acting prime minister, declared a two-week “state of siege” after the murder of Moses.

It’s unclear exactly what this entails, although it appears to mean 15 days of martial law, according to to a government review reviewed by The New York Times.

But only parliament can declare a state of siege, an expert told the Time, and the country does not currently have a functioning Parliament.

President Biden condemned what he called “the horrible assassination” of the Haitian leader.

“We condemn this heinous act,” he said in a statement. “We are ready to help as we continue to work for a safe and secure Haiti.”

In brief remarks to reporters, Biden called the situation “worrying” and said more information was needed on what had happened.

Haitian President Jovenel Moïse is shown here during an interview in 2019 in his office in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

God Nalio Chery / AP


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God Nalio Chery / AP


Haitian President Jovenel Moïse is shown here during an interview in 2019 in his office in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

God Nalio Chery / AP

What’s the next step for Haiti?

Joseph, the acting prime minister, urged residents to remain calm after the shocking events of the day before. He remains the top official, even though he was supposed to be replaced by Ariel Henry, appointed by Moses on Monday to be the new prime minister.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Henry said he was the Prime Minister himself. In another radio interview quoted by the AP, Henry said there had been no argument between him and Joseph, “I don’t agree that people made decisions hasty… when the moment demands a little more serenity and maturity. “

Joseph told the PA that he supports an international investigation into the murder of Moses and that he believes the elections scheduled for this year should be held.

Haiti was already in crisis before the assassination of its president, according to experts.

Political instability, the lasting effects of a devastating earthquake and cholera epidemic, foreign political interference and gang violence have all contributed to severe instability in the country.

“You have this situation where the institutions are not functioning, where the economy is stagnating (…) politics has been extremely volatile. The current government has been challenged by the population. There have been massive accusations of corruption,” he added. Robert fatton, an expert on Haitian politics at the University of Virginia, told NPR. “So you name it, in terms of instability and institutional decay, you have it right now in Haiti.”

Among Haitians, however, the shocking murder of Moïse has caused confusion and widespread anxiety as authorities declared a “state of siege” in the country and closed the international airport.

Haiti’s neighbor, the Dominican Republic, has announced it will close its border and tighten security to prevent suspected killers from leaving Haiti.

Who was President Moïse?

Before his assassination, opponents of the president tried to impeach the 53-year-old, saying he was improperly trying to extend his presidency.

Moïse was not very popular in the country and was generally quite poorly rated by citizens, according to Garry Pierre-Pierre, founder of Haitian Weather, who spoke to Morning edition early Thursday.

Before being handpicked by the previous president, Moïse worked in agriculture as a banana exporter.

He took office in 2017 after a protracted and contested election. But once in power, his leadership was no less chaotic.

Moses had stripped rival political parties, businessmen and great families of power. He made a lot of enemies, according to Francois Pierre-Louis, expert in Haitian politics at Queens College of the City University of New York.

“[The attack] could come from anywhere. And he’s alienated too many people, ”Pierre-Louis told NPR.

For more than a year before his death, Moses had ruled by decree after failing to hold legislative elections and the dissolved Parliament. Earlier this month, the UN Security Council said he was deeply concerned.

Laurel Wamsley of NPR contributed to this report.

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