In the early hours of July 7, 2021, a shocking assassination took place in a private residence in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Around 1 AM, gunshots rang out, waking many residents.
These gunshots persisted for half an hour before subsiding.
The residence belonged to Jovenel Moïse, the then-president of Haiti, who was brutally killed, having been shot twelve times.
We visit Pétion-Ville's fifth district in Port-au-Prince on that fateful day, a tightly guarded villa area.
A team of 28 assassins stormed Moïse's home, where he was mercilessly murdered.
His body was riddled with bullets—his head, abdomen, arms, and left leg were full of gunshot wounds, and one of his eyes was gouged out by the assassins.
His wife and children, who lived with him, miraculously survived.
First Lady Martine Moïse was injured but is expected to recover after treatment.
Their three children, hiding in other rooms, were unharmed. Strangely, the security personnel present with the president were unscathed.
That afternoon, the police announced they had killed four suspects and arrested two.
However, the investigation was still ongoing.
On July 10, First Lady Martine Moïse claimed on social media that political enemies were responsible for her husband's death.
Moïse had indeed made many enemies and had openly stated that many wanted him dead.
The judge in charge of the investigation reported receiving death threats, and some even doubted whether the president was truly dead, suspecting it was all a ruse.
By July 11, the situation had grown even more confusing.
Twenty members of the assassination team had been arrested, with three killed, leaving five still at large.
Among them, 17 were former Colombian military personnel, including ex-colonels and elite anti-terrorism unit members.
These individuals had undergone three months of rigorous training before executing the assassination plan.
However, the assassins' identities are less important than discovering who orchestrated the attack.
A family member of one assassin stated that her husband believed he was merely taking on a bodyguard role, not realizing he was being dragged into an assassination plot.
The company that hired these assassins was a Venezuelan security firm based in the U.S. The Pentagon confirmed that some Colombian soldiers involved in the assassination had previously participated in U.S. training programs.
Two of the assassins had connections to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and claimed they were tasked with arresting Moïse online.
Christian Emmanuel Sanon, suspected of being the mastermind behind the assassination, allegedly harbored ambitions of becoming president.
He initially hired bodyguards for his own safety, but the mission evolved into arresting the president.
The day before the attack, someone informed the assassination team that the CIA had ordered the mission to kill Moïse.
These assassins were essentially pawns, unaware of the full scope of the plot.
Investigations pointed to connections between the U.S. and Sanon. Martine Moïse, however, accused political rivals.
Sanon, ambitious yet naive, might have been a scapegoat.
This year, new suspicions have emerged. Martine Moïse, who had previously mourned her husband deeply, has become a suspect.
A former Haitian Justice Ministry official accused her and others, including Claude Joseph, the interim prime minister who became acting president after Moïse’s death.
Moïse intended to replace Joseph, who quickly declared himself interim president post-assassination.
Martine’s account had inconsistencies.
The room where Moïse was killed was riddled with bullets, and he was shot multiple times, while she, allegedly hiding under the bed, survived with minor injuries.
The bed was so low that it would be impossible for a person to hide there.
Once known as the "Pearl of the Caribbean," Haiti has become one of the world's poorest nations, with a turbulent political history marked by frequent changes in leadership and persistent instability.
Moïse’s assassination has plunged Haiti into deeper crisis.
The U.S. is in a dilemma, with Haiti requesting military aid, while the Biden administration remains hesitant.
Haiti’s situation poses little direct threat to the U.S. as long as it isn't occupied by another power.
However, escalating unrest in Haiti could lead to a refugee crisis affecting the U.S.
Haiti’s crisis has persisted for years, making it one of the world's most troubled nations.
While Moïse was unable to stabilize the country, his death undeniably exacerbates Haiti's dire situation.
The true masterminds behind his assassination remain unknown, leaving many questions unanswered.
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