Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?
Politics and Government News
The Associated Press
Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Official: Haiti President Jovenel Moïse assassinated at home

A man surrounded by others.
Haitian President Jovenel Moïse visits the Varreux power plants on Dec. 16, 2019, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Moïse was assassinated after a group of unidentified people attacked his private residence, the country's interim prime minister said in a statement.
Valerie Baeriswyl | AFP via Getty Images 2019

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated after a group of unidentified people attacked his private residence, the country's interim prime minister said in a statement Wednesday.

First Lady Martine Moïse is hospitalized following the attack late Tuesday, interim Premier Claude Joseph said.

Joseph condemned what he called a "hateful, inhumane and barbaric act," adding that Haiti's National Police and other authorities had the situation in the Caribbean country under control.

The nation of more than 11 million people had grown increasingly unstable and disgruntled under Moïse's rule. Its economic, political and social woes have deepened, with gang violence spiking heavily in the capital of Port-au-Prince, inflation spiraling and food and fuel becoming scarcer at times in a country where 60 percent of the population makes less than $2 a day. These troubles come as Haiti still tries to recover from the devastating 2010 earthquake and Hurricane Matthew that struck in 2016.

Moïse, 53, had been ruling by decree for more than two years after the country failed to hold elections, which led to Parliament being dissolved. Opposition leaders have accused him of seeking to increase his power, including approving a decree that limited the powers of a court that audits government contracts and another that created an intelligence agency that answers only to the president.

In recent months, opposition leaders demanded he step down, arguing that his term legally ended in February 2021. Moïse and supporters maintained that his term began when he took office in early 2017, following a chaotic election that forced the appointment of a provisional president to serve during a year-long gap.

Haiti was scheduled to hold general elections later this year.