President Jovenel Moise assassinated overnight in private residence

A group of assailants attacked the private residence of President Jovenel Moise early on Wednesday morning and shot him dead, Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph said in a statement.

At around 1am on Wednesday July 7, a group of unidentified people, including some speaking Spanish, attacked the private residence of the president, mortally wounding the head of state.

The First Lady suffered bullet injuries, said a statement released by Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph’s office.

Joseph said he was now in charge of the country.

Condemning the “inhumane and barbaric act”, Claude Joseph called for calm, saying the police and the country’s armed forces had taken control of the security situation.