Haiti President Jovenel Moise was assassinated at his residence while the first lady was injured, said the country’s interim prime minister on Wednesday.
According to a statement by Claude Joseph, a group of unidentified people, including those speaking Spanish, attacked the private residence of the president and fatally injured him.
First lady Martine Moise was also injured at the incident that occurred around 1 a.m. local time (0500GMT), and later taken to a hospital for treatment.
Joseph condemned the “heinous, inhumane and barbaric” attack, and urged all citizens to remain calm as security forces in the country are controlling the case.
Haiti has endured decades of political upheaval, poverty, and a devastating earthquake in 2010 and remains highly vulnerable to natural hazards — mainly hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes.
The tiny Caribbean island of nearly 12 million people has been hit hard by an economic crisis exacerbated by the coronavirus outbreak as the country is one of the poorest nations in the Western Hemisphere.