|
Post by Admin on Jul 8, 2021 23:07:47 GMT
Two men believed to be Haitian Americans — one of them purportedly a former bodyguard at the Canadian Embassy in Port au Prince — have been arrested in connection with the assassination of Haiti's president, a senior Haitian official said Thursday. Mathias Pierre, Haiti's minister of elections, told The Associated Press that James Solages was among six people arrested in the 36 hours since the brazen killing of President Jovenel Moïse by gunmen at his home in the pre-dawn hours Wednesday. Four other suspected assailants were killed in a gunfight with police and two are still missing, Pierre said. Earlier authorities had said seven suspects were killed. Pierre would not provide additional details about Solages' background, nor would he provide the name of the second Haitian-American he said was arrested. Solages describes himself as a "certified diplomatic agent," an advocate for children and budding politician on a website for a charity he established in 2019 in south Florida to assist residents. On his bio page for the charity, Solages said he previously worked as a bodyguard at the Canadian Embassy in Haiti. Calls to the foundation and Solages' associates at the charity either did not go through or were not answered. "The pursuit of the mercenaries continues," said Léon Charles, director of Haiti's National Police, in announcing the arrest of suspects. "Their fate is fixed: They will fall in the fighting or will be arrested." Witnesses said two suspects were discovered hiding in bushes in Port-au-Prince on Thursday by a crowd, some of whom grabbed the men by their shirts and pants, pushing them and occasionally slapping them.
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Jul 9, 2021 3:03:49 GMT
A man believed to be a US citizen is among six people arrested in Haiti in connection with the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, a top government official said Thursday. Elections Minister Mathias Pierre told CNN that the man, whom he identified as James Solages, was "part of the group" linked to Wednesday's attack. When asked by CNN whether the suspect was a US citizen, Pierre said, "So far, that is the information we have." Acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph said six Colombians and two Haitian Americans were involved In the killing. Joseph said authorities have arrested most of the attackers involved and asked the public to "keep helping us" and "if you see something, say something." Six people are in custody, said Haiti Chief of Police Leon Charles at a press conference in Port-au-Prince. He said Haitian authorities have apprehended those who perpetrated the attack and are now looking for the masterminds behind it. Seven suspects were killed in a gunbattle with security forces in Port-au-Prince on Wednesday, Charles said. Four died on the scene and the rest succumbed to their wounds at a hospital, the chief said at a press conference. Haiti's ambassador to the United States, Bocchit Edmond, described suspects as foreign "mercenaries" and said he believed they had received assistance from Haitian nationals, but officials have divulged few public details on the attack. The Haitian National Police have requested investigative assistance and the US is responding to that request, State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters. Price said the situation is "evolving rapidly." Moise's death takes place against a background of extreme violence in the capital Port-au-Prince which has claimed the lives of many citizens in recent weeks. Haiti was already dealing with political turmoil, a growing humanitarian crisis, and a worsening Covid-19 epidemic. The assassination also leaves a huge power vacuum in Haiti. Its parliament is effectively defunct and two men are simultaneously claiming to be the country's rightful prime minister. The supreme court president would normally be next in line to take over on an interim basis, but he recently died of Covid-19, judge Jean Wilner Morin, president of the national association of Haitian judges, told CNN. Joseph declared a "state of siege" in Haiti on Wednesday, closing the country's borders and imposing martial law. But Joseph has not been confirmed by parliament -- which has not sat since 2020 -- and he was in the process of being replaced by Ariel Henry, whom the president appointed shortly before his death. Henry told the Haitian newspaper le Nouvelliste that "Claude Joseph is not prime minister, he is part of my government."
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Jul 9, 2021 4:43:34 GMT
"We have no record of Mr. Solages ever having worked here." - CIA.
Haitian officials announced that an American citizen of Haitian descent was one of six people arrested relating to the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse Wednesday, the Washington Post reports.
James Solages was arrested Wednesday after some suspected gunmen got into a firefight with local police. Another arrested man, who was not named, is believed to be a Haitian-American dual citizen.
Mathias Pierre, Haiti’s minister of elections and inter-party relations, shared a video with the Washington Post showing the two men being arrested and a crowd forming cheering the police. The pair were taken to a local police station which was receiving additional police support. “The special units are trying to protect the police station, because the population is very mad and is trying to get to them, to burn them,” he said. “We’re trying to avoid that.”
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Jul 9, 2021 5:17:28 GMT
What happened? In the early hours of July 7, gunmen burst into the Port-au-Prince home of Haitian President Jovenel Moise, killing him and critically injuring his wife. The identities of the assailants and of the planners of the assassination remain unknown, although four suspects were killed in a shoot-out with police, and two others have been arrested. Haiti’s interim prime minister, Claude Joseph, declared a state of siege, imposing martial law and closing the borders.
How will Moise be remembered? Even before Moise’s presidency began, it was marked by controversy and conflict. The reported winner of the later-annulled 2015 elections in Haiti, Moise went on to win a second election in 2016 and was sworn in the following February. His presidency saw the outbreak of mass demonstrations over economic underperformance and corruption. For example, top members of Moise’s government were implicated in the siphoning off of billions of dollars of foreign aid.
The president had been ruling by decree since January 2020, with Haiti’s Parliament closed and legislative elections repeatedly delayed. Opposition leaders have accused Moise of dictatorial tendencies, citing his creation of a new intelligence agency under his sole authority. They also point to Moise’s attempts to alter the country’s constitution to ensure presidential immunity from prosecution and his alleged ties to local gangs. Furthermore, Moise oversaw the reinstatement of the army, a controversial move given its history of human rights abuses and corruption.
Moise was facing a crisis of legitimacy surrounding the last year of his tenure. Civil society groups and the judiciary’s chief administrative body claimed that the expiration of Moise’s term should be calculated from the first election he won, thus ending his presidency in February 2021. But Moise and his supporters insisted that his five-year term began when he actually assumed power in 2017 and therefore would expire in February 2022. The president declared the controversy—and the opposition’s effort to install a provisional government—an “attempted coup” and ordered the arrest of twenty-three people, including a Supreme Court judge and a police inspector general. The drama sparked fresh waves of unrest that continued throughout 2021.
Haiti’s political crisis takes place against a backdrop of economic and humanitarian devastation. The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has never fully recovered from the 2010 earthquake that killed an estimated 250,000 people and decimated its infrastructure. In the years since, hundreds of thousands of Haitians have been infected with cholera, Hurricane Matthew devastated parts of the country, and now the coronavirus pandemic has strained an already crumbling public health system. Haiti has yet to begin administering COVID-19 vaccines, lagging behind most of the world. Additionally, crime and violence have peaked in recent years. Criminal gangs control large swathes of territory, kidnapping and murdering with near-total impunity. In 2020, the U.S. government imposed sanctions on three Haitians, including two members of Moise’s government, for orchestrating and committing human rights abuses related to gang violence.
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Jul 9, 2021 16:08:45 GMT
Haiti’s police paraded 17 men, alleged to be part of a commando unit that assassinated President Jovenel Moïse in his home.
What’s at stake for Haiti and the region if the situation worsens? With no clear line of succession, the immediate result of Moise’s killing will be a deepening of political uncertainty and the possibility of further democratic backsliding. Joseph claims he is governing the country but lacks legitimacy for the task, as Moise appointed a different prime minister just hours before his assassination.
The lack of a legitimate executive power—coupled with the inoperative legislative branch—leaves Haiti’s vulnerable population ever more exposed to economic ruin, crime, and political violence. As with any crisis in Haiti, there is also the likelihood of increased emigration, particularly to the neighboring Dominican Republic, where authorities already responded by closing the border.
Regional powers face few incentives to mobilize the necessary assistance to stabilize Haiti, especially given the inauspicious track record of previous interventions. Since last year, the U.S. government, the UN Security Council, and the Organization of American States have pushed for a new round of elections, but Haitian civil society organizations note that food insecurity, political violence, and the pandemic ensure that voting would be far from free and fair. Instead, they have advocated for a non-partisan transitional government to oversee the restoration of the constitutional order.
What are the prospects for a return to democracy? The coming weeks and months will be critical for charting Haiti’s path forward. Legislative elections are scheduled for September, but the most crucial step will be determining an interim president to govern the country until new elections are held.
|
|