Jovenel Moïse’s Assassination Puts Haiti on the Brink of Economic and Political Collapse

On July 7th, 2021, a commando of 28 armed mercenaries forced their way into the residence of the president of Haïti, Jovenel Moïse, and executed him. The assassins shot the 53-year-old president 16 times, instantly killing him and leaving his wife grievously wounded. Although the perpetrators of this horrifying murder remain unidentified, it is rather clear that the people of Haiti will soon feel the consequences of this act. The president’s assassination became the last straw for a nation already dealing with political unrest, troublesome foreign intervention and rebellion looming on the horizon. To make matters worse, the country has yet to recover from its rising COVID-19 cases. With all of these forces at play, one must ask what the political, economic, and humanitarian consequences of Jovenel Moïse’s assassination will be?

Haiti is among the poorest countries in the world due to its fragility, political instability, and governance issues. Nearly 25% of Haiti’s population lives in extreme poverty, earning less than $1.25 per day. A lack of electricity, clean water, proper employment, and nourishment are only some of the issues Haitians suffer from daily. Haitians also lack access to proper education as only 50% of children go to school. According to the CIA World Factbook, Haiti is ranked fourth in terms of greatest income inequality, with the top 20% of households in Haiti holding 64% of the total wealth in the country, while the poorest 20% hold less than 1%. The regular and violent clashes between armed civilians and police officers in the streets is a reflection of the country’s evident inequality. Moreover, while living conditions are improving in urban centres, they are becoming more precarious in the countryside, where more than half of Haitians live. 

Many foreign officials commented on the assassination of the Haitian president. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian mentioned that the Haitian government should act “with calmness and restraint.” Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader referred to the killing as “an attack against the democratic order in Haiti and the region” and immediately ordered the closure of shared borders between the two countries. The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, took to Twitter to say that “this crime carries a risk of instability and [a] spiral of violence.” Although Moïse’s assassination was surprising, it was not completely unexpected, as perilous political difficulties only grew under his rule. Since he took office in 2017, numerous protests have erupted in the nation. Allegations of corruption and mishandling of the economy have also plagued him for years. The situation worsened when the Haitian government failed to hold legislative elections in 2018, leaving Moïse to govern by decree for over two years. At first, the “opposition” demanded his resignation, persisting with the constitution of a transitional government. Today, they call for a revolution against the entire social and economic system to regain all power from the Haitian bourgeoisie.

The assassination of President Moïse and the political instability it spurred will undoubtedly place a further strain on the country’s path to economic recovery. In the past, environmental catastrophes severely affected the nation and halted reforms. Haiti has yet to fully recover from the 2010 earthquake that left more than 200,000 people dead, decimated 120% of its GDP, and impaired its vital health and transportation infrastructure. Hurricane Matthew followed in 2016 and further deteriorated the situation, destroying 70% of crops in a country still heavily reliant on agriculture for survival. Still, the government has been slow and insufficient in responding to the country’s needs, which can be attributed primarily to recurrent political crises and rampant corruption. With reconstruction costs surpassing the country’s GDP, the political consequences that lie ahead will only hinder efforts to rebuild the infrastructure so critically needed by the population, rendering Haiti’s desperate economic situation even direr.

Naturally, the Covid-19 pandemic proves a further problem for Haïti’s health and political systems. Although the virus seemingly spared the country throughout 2020, an ill-timed outbreak erupted in June 2021, merely weeks before the President’s assassination. Despite promises by the US and the COVAX organization, the country’s lack of tests and vaccines makes it difficult for local health officials to fight back against the threat. Moreover, Moïse’s assassination and its consequent civil unrest are likely to pose a significant obstacle to the efforts of combatting the virus’s spread and distributing the meager resources throughout the country. To add insult to injury, the uncontrollable violence and critically low oxygen stocks are forcing some Haitian hospitals to shut down, leaving the sick untreated.

This tragic event has spread fear and chaos across the country. After the assassination, the Haitian government declared a 15-day state of emergency to ease the process of conducting investigations for local authorities. Some perpetrators of the attack have been captured, including the 17 Colombians and 3 Haitian-Americans who are the primary suspects of the murder. The current suspect list sheds light on the “foreignness” of the source of the attack. The Haitian government has been pressing on the United States and the United Nations to send troops to help secure critical infrastructure, and the Haitian Prime Minister sent a letter to the UN offices requesting help to “re-establish security and public order in the country.” Although Washington expressed no plans to send military forces, the U.S government sent FBI and Homeland security agents to assist with the assassination investigation. The Haitian government seems to be completely resourceless in dealing with the havoc and relies heavily on external forces to stabilize the country while awaiting the impending elections.

Although the true motive behind the assassination of Haitian president Moïse remains unknown, its link to deteriorating living conditions and a degrading economy is inescapable. Haitians are attributing the worsening of their quality of life to the political stagnation of their current government. In many ways, the assassination of Jovenel Moïse characterizes the resurgence of violence which began years ago. On one hand, the local and foreign governments are doing the impossible to prevent a predictable uprising, whereas the population has passionately vocalized its dissent of the current situation. At the same time, people from around the world show compassion and solidarity with the Haitian people and their cause.