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White House Laments ‘Tragic and Shocking’ Assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise

Casa Blanca tilda de "trágico y espantoso" el asesinato del presidente haitiano

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The White House on Wednesday called the early morning assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise “tragic and shocking” and said it is still gathering information about what happened.

“It is a tragedy. A shocking crime,” said Jen Psaki, White House spokeswoman.

Psaki noted that U.S. intelligence is still “gathering” and “assessing” available information about what happened.

“We are ready and prepared to offer whatever assistance is needed,” she added.

He also indicated that President Joe Biden will be briefed this morning on the situation in Haiti before leaving for an event in Illinois.

From Port-au-Prince, the American embassy in the Caribbean country announced that it will remain closed during the day due to “the current security situation”, according to its Twitter account.

Moise was killed on Wednesday by gunmen who broke into his home in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, his wife Martine was shot and wounded, according to interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph.

Haiti has been suffering a strong political crisis since mid-2018 and experienced its most serious moment to date last February 7, the day on which Moise denounced that the opposition, with the backing of judges, was plotting a coup d’état.

At the same time, insecurity has worsened especially since the beginning of June due to turf battles between armed gangs fighting for control of Port-au-Prince’s poorest neighborhoods.

Following Moise’s assassination, Port-au-Prince’s international airport was closed and the Dominican Republic ordered the closure of its four border crossings with Haiti.

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