Assassination of Jovenel Moïse

Jovenel Moïse, the 43rd president of Haiti, was assassinated on 7 July 2021 at 1 am EDT (UTC−04:00) at his residence in Port-au-Prince. A group of 28 foreign mercenaries, mostly Colombians, are alleged to be responsible for the killing. First Lady Martine Moïse was also shot multiple times in the attack, and was airlifted to the United States for emergency treatment. Later in the day, USGPN (L'Unité de Sécurité Générale du Palais National, or The General Security Unit of the National Palace, headed by Dimitri Herard) killed three of the suspected assassins and arrested 20 more. A manhunt was launched for other gunmen as well as the masterminds of the attack. Haitian chief prosecutor Bedford Claude confirmed plans to question Moïse's top bodyguards; none of the president's security guards were killed or injured in the attack. US authorities have since arrested eleven suspects alleged to have conspired in the assassination. Martine Moïse and Claude Joseph, who succeeded Moïse as President of Haiti, have been accused of conspiring in the assassination and were formally charged on 19 February 2024.