Haitian Connection Stands in Solidarity with the Haitian People
July 7, 20021
There are times when words are not enough. This is one of those times. When we heard the news that President Jovenel was assassinated we were in shock as were all Haitians. The last time a Haitian president was assassinated was in 1915, and this was followed by 20 years of US occupation. Haiti has had its share of coups, but assassinations are very rare.
Jovenel Moise was not the best president, but nobody deserves to have their life snuffed out like this. The plot how the assassination was planned and wo is involved is thickening. Everyday there is news of additional information which is quite bizarre at times. Instead of speculation we feel it is best to wait until all becomes clearer. But what is clear already is that the major consequences of this act will be carried by the Haitian people.
Just a few words of clarification as to what is going on in Haiti right now: The Prime Minister who had just resigned, has taken the reins of government right now, but two other people have indicated that they should be the rightful successors, the newly appointed Prime Minister who has not been sworn in, and the remnant of the senate has chosen one of their own to stand in as the leader of the country. Sad, but they are all part of the political elite, so nothing new will come from them. Commerce has already been hampered by the gangs, since goods cannot leave Port au Prince and nothing can be brought into Port au Prince, so the whole country suffers.
This assassination has been carefully planned and executed by a commando consisting of Haitians and foreigners. English and Spanish were spoken during raid. These were mercenaries and the question that demands an answer is: “who is behind this?”. At this point nobody knows the answer. The other perplexing thing is that normally there is a seven layer barrier of protection around the President, but not a single shot was fired from any of his security detail. A neighbor heard the commotion around the attack and called the nearest police station, but there was no response. Most recent news is that the head of the president’s security detal is on custody for questioning. Dimitri Herard, the head of presidential security, had taken 7 flights to Columbia before the assassination.
How Haiti will move forward is not predictable, but Haitian Connection strongly believes the path has to be prepared by Haitians and Haitians alone. It is not for the International community to decide. Once Haitians themselves have decided which way to go, if they want help they can let the International Community know what they need. We need a coalition of national consensus in Haiti that consists of ALL actors in Haiti. As difficult as that might be, it is the only way forward.
Do keep the Haitian people in your prayers, they know much suffering. Renate
An excellent article and analysis by Amy Wilenz, do take the time to read it
https://www.thenation.com/article/world/haiti-antoinette-duclaire-murder/
Haitian Connection 