Moise was killed in his home by unidentified attackers early on Wednesday [File: Andres Martinez Casares/Reuters]
Havana, July 7 (RHC)-- World leaders have reacted with shock and revulsion to the assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise. The United Nations Security Council expressed its dismay over the murder of Haiti’s president, who was slain in his home in an attack that wounded his wife.
Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader called the killing on Wednesday “an attack against the democratic order in Haiti and the region” and ordered the “immediate closure” of the country’s border with Haiti.
“Council members say they are deeply shocked by the assassination of President Moise earlier in the day … and are concerned about the fate of the First Lady Martine Moise, who was also shot and wounded in the attack,” France’s UN ambassador Nicolas de Riviere said.
It was not immediately clear who was behind the assassination in the troubled Caribbean nation, which has grown increasingly unstable in recent years.
Colombian President Iván Duque condemned what he called a “cowardly act” and expressed solidarity with Haiti. He called for an urgent mission by the Organization of American States “to protect democratic order.”
“The secretary-general calls on all Haitians to preserve the constitutional order, remain united in the face of this abhorrent act, and reject all violence,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. “The United Nations will continue to stand with the government and the people of Haiti.”
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, tweeted “this crime carries a risk of instability and [a] spiral of violence." France denounced the “cowardly assassination.”
“All light must be shed on this crime, which takes place in a political and security climate that has severely worsened,” said French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. “I urge all those in Haitian politics to act with calm and restraint.”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged calm. “I am shocked and saddened at the death of President Moise,” Johnson said on Twitter, sending condolences to Haiti. “This is an abhorrent act and I call for calm at this time.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also condemned the assassination. “I’d like to make an appeal for political unity to get out of this terrible trauma that the country is going through,” Sánchez said.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu expressed his “grave sorrow” about the “cowardly” killing, extending his condolences to Moise’s family and the Haitian people on social media.
Argentina’s foreign ministry strongly condemned the assassination of Moise, reaffirmed its solidarity with Haiti and expressed its rejection of the use of violence. “Argentina hopes that peace and tranquility will soon be recovered in the country and asks for respect for democratic institutions. It calls for the perpetrators of the crime to be quickly identified so that they can be held responsible for their actions,” it said.
Bolivia’s President Luis Arce said: “We condemn these acts of violence … our condolences to the Haitian people.”
