Haiti President Jovenel Moise was assassinated and his wife wounded early Wednesday in an attack at their home, the interim prime minister announced an act that risks further destabilizing the Caribbean nation beset by gang violence and political volatility. Moise had ruled Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, by decree, after legislative elections due in 2018 were delayed in the wake of disputes, including on when his own term ends. xAs well as 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. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said "we will be helpful in any way to the people of Haiti, to the government of Haiti," adding that President Joe Biden would be briefed on the incident shortly. The killing comes days after Moise appointed Ariel Henry, a neurosurgeon who studied in France, as Haiti's new prime minister.

Source: The Guardian July 07, 2021 10:41 UTC