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PORT-AU-PRINCE: Haiti’s interim government said it asked the US to deploy troops to protect key infrastructure as it tries to stabilie the country and prepare for elections in the aftermath of President Jovenel Moise’s assassination.
“We definitely need assistance and we have asked our international partners for help,” interim PM Claude Joseph said on Friday. Haiti’s remarkable request for military assistance from the US, a former colonial overlord that has repeatedly intervened in the nation’s affairs, is a measure of how deeply shaken the nation has been by days of chaos and intrigue. But the Biden administration has so far given no indication it will provide military assistance. For now, it only plans to send FBI officials to help in probe.
On the streets, vigilantes prowled for suspects, and police killed at least three people in gunfights. The vast majority of those arrested have turned out to be from Colombia — former military men said to have turned mercenaries.
And in a brewing political crisis, suspicion has prompted what may shape up to be a standoff between rival governments. On Friday, a group of lawmakers announced they had recognised Joseph Lambert, the head of Haiti’s dismantled senate, as provisional president in a challenge to the interim government’s authority. They also recognised as PM Ariel Henry, whom Moise had selected to replace Joseph a day before he was killed but who had not yet taken office or formed a government. One of those lawmakers, Rosemond Pradel said Joseph “is neither qualified nor has the legal right” to lead Haiti. Joseph expressed dismay that others would try to take advantage of Moise’s death for political gain. “I’m not interested in a power struggle,” said Joseph, who assumed leadership with the backing of the military.
Meanwhile, more details emerged about the crime. Of the 20 people detained by police, 18 were identified as Colombians, and two as Americans of Haitian descent, with five more suspects said to be on the loose.
“We definitely need assistance and we have asked our international partners for help,” interim PM Claude Joseph said on Friday. Haiti’s remarkable request for military assistance from the US, a former colonial overlord that has repeatedly intervened in the nation’s affairs, is a measure of how deeply shaken the nation has been by days of chaos and intrigue. But the Biden administration has so far given no indication it will provide military assistance. For now, it only plans to send FBI officials to help in probe.
On the streets, vigilantes prowled for suspects, and police killed at least three people in gunfights. The vast majority of those arrested have turned out to be from Colombia — former military men said to have turned mercenaries.
And in a brewing political crisis, suspicion has prompted what may shape up to be a standoff between rival governments. On Friday, a group of lawmakers announced they had recognised Joseph Lambert, the head of Haiti’s dismantled senate, as provisional president in a challenge to the interim government’s authority. They also recognised as PM Ariel Henry, whom Moise had selected to replace Joseph a day before he was killed but who had not yet taken office or formed a government. One of those lawmakers, Rosemond Pradel said Joseph “is neither qualified nor has the legal right” to lead Haiti. Joseph expressed dismay that others would try to take advantage of Moise’s death for political gain. “I’m not interested in a power struggle,” said Joseph, who assumed leadership with the backing of the military.
Meanwhile, more details emerged about the crime. Of the 20 people detained by police, 18 were identified as Colombians, and two as Americans of Haitian descent, with five more suspects said to be on the loose.
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