Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), the top ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee that deals with the Western hemisphere, said the assassination of the Haitian president early Wednesday morning may have been carried out by foreign mercenaries.
“The cold blooded murder of the President of [Haiti] in his home, in the middle of the night, has all the signs of a carefully planned contract killing carried out by foreign mercenaries,” said Rubio. “Those behind this grotesque crime should be identified [and] brought to justice.”
The cold blooded murder of the President of #Haiti in his home, in the middle of the night, has all the signs of a carefully planned contract killing carried out by foreign mercenaries.
Those behind this grotesque crime should be identified & brought to justice.
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) July 7, 2021
Rubio’s statement comes less than 24 hours after the assassination killed the country’s leader and injured Martine Moise, the first lady of Haiti, while they were both at their residence. The first lady has since been taken to Florida for hospital treatment; the extent of her injuries is unclear.
Bocchit Edmond, the Haitian ambassador to the United States, has suggested the attack on the first couple was coordinated. Specifically, Edmond claims the attack was committed by “well-trained professional commandos” disguised as American DEA agents, reports AP, which also notes that the U.S. embassy says it has a DEA presence in the capital city. Local police have been patrolling outside the president’s residence while other officials look for evidence.
Claude Joseph, the interim prime minister as of April, released a statement about the attack early Wednesday but declined to provide many details on the nature of the attack. However, reports The Washington Post, Joseph said the attackers were coordinated and spoke Spanish and English, neither of which are official languages of Haiti.
Amidst the uncertainty, the Biden administration’s state department has temporarily closed the U.S. embassy in the capital city of Port-au-Prince as a purported safety measure.
“Due to an ongoing security situation, the US Embassy is restricting its direct-hire US citizen staff to the Embassy compounds in Tabarre until further notice. The Embassy will be closed today, including for consular services,” reads a state department security alert from early Wednesday. “Please avoid unnecessary travel in this area at this time.”
Haiti has long struggled with its economic and political conditions. Recent data from the World Bank shows that the country, which is home to more than 11 million people, has a per-capita income of $1,150, and “remains the poorest country in the Latin America and Caribbean region and among the poorest countries in the world.”
Joseph told The New York Times in an interview Wednesday that he has control over the country. But the news agency notes that it remains “unclear how much control” that is, or how long his hold on the country may last. “A new prime minister had been scheduled to replace Mr. Joseph this week, and the head of the nation’s highest court, who might also have helped establish order, died of Covid-19 in June,” reports the Times.
In a statement, President Joe Biden said he was “shocked and saddened to hear of the horrific assassination of President Jovenel Moïse and the attack on First Lady Martine Moïse of Haiti.” The president also said that the United States was standing “ready to assist as we continue to work for a safe and secure Haiti.”