Haiti calls for UN Security Council meeting after president’s assassination

Haitian Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph on Wednesday called on the United Nations to hold a Security Council meeting on the assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse.

Reuters reports that Joseph in a statement called on the “international community to launch an investigation into the assassination and for the United Nations to hold a Security Council meeting.”

Moïse was assassinated at his home by gunmen early Wednesday. His wife, Martine Moïse, was reportedly injured and hospitalized.

“The country’s security situation is under the control of the National Police of Haiti and the Armed Forces of Haiti,” Joseph said after the attack. “Democracy and the republic will win.”

Information about the gunmen has not yet been made known, though Joseph said some of the attackers had spoken in Spanish. The official, most common languages spoken in Haiti are French and Haitian Creole.

President Biden condemned the attack Wednesday and said the U.S. was prepared to provide assistance to the country to ensure safety and security.

“We are shocked and saddened to hear of the horrific assassination of President Jovenel Moïse and the attack on First Lady Martine Moïse of Haiti,” Biden said in a statement. “We condemn this heinous act, and I am sending my sincere wishes for First Lady Moïse’s recovery. The United States offers condolences to the people of Haiti, and we stand ready to assist as we continue to work for a safe and secure Haiti.”