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2021-07-08 Caribbean-Latin America
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Multiple gunmen killed and arrested in firefight with suspected assassins of Haitian President Jovenel, PM declares martial law
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 [RT] Haiti's national police have arrested multiple men suspected of assassinating President Jovenel Moise, the government announced, adding that a shootout with the alleged perpetrators is still ongoing.
The suspected assassins were arrested "shortly before 6pm" local time on Wednesday, Haiti’s minister of communication Frantz Exantus announced on Twitter.
While Exantus did not identify any of the alleged perpetrators or say how many had been brought into custody, Haiti’s national police chief later told a presser that two "mercenaries" had been captured, while four others were killed in a firefight. He added that three coppers who were briefly taken hostage by the purported assassins had been freed, though still vowed to kill or detain the remaining button men.
Unconfirmed footage alleged to show the armed standoff has circulated on social media, in which barrages of gunfire are heard as a column of black smoke appears to rise from a building in the distance.
Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph’s office said earlier that his administration was ensuring the "continuity of the state" following the "villainous liquidation," later adding that the PM had been in touch with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Unknown button men, allegedly announcing they were agents of the US Drug Enforcement Agency, raided Moise’s residence on Wednesday morning and gunned him down. Moise’s wife Martine was also injured in the attack, and was flown to a Florida hospital at death's door.
The assassins "spoke English and Spanish," the government said, declaring a state of siege and launching a manhunt after the perpetrators.
Haitian PM declares nationwide state of emergency following president's assassination
[RT] The second-highest level state of emergency has been declared throughout Haiti after its president was assassinated, Haiti’s acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph has announced.
"We decided to declare the State of Siege [in] the whole country," Joseph said in a televised address broadcast on national television following an emergency meeting of Haiti’s Council of Ministers. "We don’t want the country to plunge into chaos," he added.
A declaration of a state of siege is preceded only by a state of war. It involves a curfew, control over the media and civilian population, and closure of borders. Martial law is temporarily imposed and the army is deployed to aid police in maintaining law and order.
It is scheduled to stay in place for 15 days, an order published in the nation’s official gazette on Wednesday said.
In his speech, the prime minister asked the people to "keep calm" and aid the government through these "difficult times." He also repeatedly stated that the situation is "under control."
Haitian President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in a nighttime attack on his residence on Wednesday. First Lady Martine Moise was also injured in the assault and reports claimed she died of wounds. However,
if you can't say something nice about a person some juicy gossip will go well...
later Haiti's ambassador to the United States announced she was "stable, but at death's door," Rooters reports.
Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph condemned what he called the "barbaric act" perpetrated by a group of unidentified individuals, who spoke "English and Spanish."
A local media outlet identified an assailant as a Colombian earlier on Wednesday, but this information has not been officially confirmed yet. Joseph vowed to bring the assassins to justice, saying that they would "pay for what they did in court."
The liquidation has already drawn condemnation from some foreign nations, including the US and the UK. Haiti’s neighbor, the Dominican Republic, reportedly ordered the closure of its borders over the incident and increased surveillance.
Moise had been ruling 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.
In addition to the political crisis, kidnappings for ransom have surged in recent months, further reflecting the growing influence of armed gangs in the Caribbean nation.
Haiti also faces chronic poverty and recurrent natural disasters.
The president faced steep opposition from swathes of the population that deemed his mandate illegitimate, and he churned through a series of seven prime ministers in four year. Most recently, Joseph was supposed to be replaced this week after only three months in the post.
In addition to presidential, legislative and local elections, Haiti was due to have a constitutional referendum in September after it was twice postponed due to the coronavirus (aka COVID19 or Chinese Plague)
 ...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men...
pandemic.
Supported by Moise, the text of the constitutional reform, aimed at strengthening the executive branch, has been overwhelmingly rejected by the opposition and many civil society organizations.
The constitution currently in force was written in 1987 after the fall of the Duvalier dictatorship and declares that "any popular consultation aimed at modifying the Constitution by referendum is formally prohibited."
Critics had also claimed it was impossible to organizing a poll, given the general insecurity in the country. 
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Posted by Fred 2021-07-08 00:00||
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