The King of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf, has sent a condolence letter to Haiti’s Prime Minister, Claude Joseph, after the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse and attack on his wife, First Lady Martine Moïse at their home on 7 July.
The King said: “The Queen and I were shocked and saddened to learn of the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse and the attack on First Lady Martine Moïse.
“We offer our deepest condolences to you and the Government, President Moïse’s family and the people of Haiti. Our thoughts are also with First Lady Moïse, and we wish her a full and speedy recovery.”
Jovenel Moïse had been President of Haiti since February 2017. Two years later, there was political unrest in the Caribbean nation and calls for his resignation, but he remained in office until his death on 7 July.
In the early morning of 7 July, 28 gunmen stormed President Moïse’s residence in Port-au-Prince – the Haitian capital. He was shot at least 12 times and had his eye gouged out. His wife suffered injuries from gunshot wounds but is recovering in Miami, Florida, where she was flown for treatment.
The widowed First Lady spoke out for the first time on Saturday on Twitter regarding the attack. She posted a voice message that said: “In the blink of an eye, the mercenaries entered my house and riddled my husband with bullets. This act has no name because you have to be a limitless criminal to assassinate a president like Jovenel Moïse, without even giving him the chance to say a single word.
“I am crying, it is true, but we cannot let the country lose its way. We cannot let the blood of President Jovenel Moïse, my husband, our president whom we love so much and who loved us in return, flow in vain.”
She also suggested that her husband was targeted for political reasons – mainly a referendum on the constitution that would have given the President more power.
Of the 28 assailants, the Haitian government has said 26 were Colombian, and two were American; 18 Colombian and two Americans were captured, while three Colombian assassins were killed in a shootout with police. The other suspects are still on the run, and a manhunt is underway. The motive for the assassination is still unknown.
