Haiti Presidential Assassination || Haiti Asks USA And UN To Send Troops

The government of the Caribbean state is hoping for support from foreign soldiers after the presidential assassination in Port-au-Prince. The US reacts dismissively.

A representative of the Haitian government has requested US and UN troops to secure strategically important locations after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise. "We made this request during a conversation with the US Secretary of State and the United Nations," said Electoral Minister Mathias Pierre. The soldiers were to be used, among other things, to secure the ports and the airport.

Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph confirmed the request. "We definitely need support and we have asked our international partners for help." His government hopes that the allies could help the national police bring the situation under control and stabilize the country.

The State Department and the Pentagon both confirmed receipt of a request for "security and investigative assistance" and stated that officials remained in contact with the government in Port-au-Prince. However, a senior US official rejected the request from Haiti . The United States has no plans to provide military aid to Haiti "at this point". The United Nations did not comment at first.

Arrest of nearly 20 suspects

Moise was shot dead in his home in Port-au-Prince on Wednesday night . According to police, a group of 26 Colombians and two US citizens of Haitian origin were involved in the attack. Almost 20 suspects were arrested. Internationally, the attack, the background of which is unclear, sparked fears that the Caribbean state, which is marked by instability and poverty, would slide further into violence.

Joseph said he was appalled by opponents who tried to take advantage of Moise's murder to usurp political power. He thus indirectly referred to a group of MPs who recognize Joseph Lambert, the chairman of the dissolved Senate, as provisional president and Ariel Henry, whom Moise had named as head of government the day before his assassination, as the new prime minister.

Read more: Assassination of the Haitian President

He was not interested in a power struggle, declared Joseph. "There is only one way people in Haiti can become president. And that is through elections. " He therefore appeals to everyone to work together so that the country can have an elected president.

Elections in Haiti should take place as planned

Following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in Haiti, the presidential election and a constitutional referendum are scheduled to take place at the end of September as planned. This was announced by Haiti's election minister, Mathias Pierre. "The election was not for Jovenel Moise as president. It was seen as a necessity to stabilize the country and the political system," Pierre told Reuters.

The assassination of the Haitian president had nothing to do with it, he said. Preparations have long been underway; Millions of dollars would be spent to run the election. The head of state was shot dead in his home in Port-au-Prince on Wednesday night . His wife Martine, who was injured in the attack, was flown to Miami for treatment.

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According to the Haitian ambassador to the USA, Bocchit Edmond, the perpetrators are "foreign mercenaries" and well-trained killers. Haiti's chief of police said the foreigners came into the country to kill the president.

According to Haitian police , the attackers were made up of at least 28 people , most of them Colombians. A total of 15 Colombian citizens and two US citizens with Haitian roots have been arrested so far. In addition, three Colombians were killed and eight attackers were still on the run.

Eleven arrests at Taiwanese embassy

According to Taiwan, eleven suspects have been arrested at the Taiwan embassy in Port-au-Prince. A group of armed men broke into Taiwan's diplomatic mission on Thursday morning, said a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman in Taipei. The police later arrested her there.

"The security staff immediately notified the embassy staff and the Haitian police," said the spokeswoman. At the request of the Haiti government , the embassy allowed security forces to enter the premises. Haiti is one of 15 nations that officially recognize Taiwan as independent from China.

According to the diplomatic mission, the police launched an operation against the intruders on Thursday afternoon "and successfully arrested eleven suspects". They are "mercenaries" and alleged participants in the "brutal and barbaric" murder of President Moise.