Assassination of President Moise Plunges Haiti Deeper Into Chaos

• The troubled Caribbean nation of Haiti was plunged into chaos after its president, Jovenel Moise, was assassinated in a nighttime raid. This led acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph to declare a state of emergency. 
• Joseph said the president was murdered by highly trained and heavily armed killers who stormed the presidential residence above the capital Port-Au-Prince at around 1 a.m on Wednesday. 
• The first lady Martine Moise was also injured in the attack and Haiti’s ambassador to Washington, Bocchit Edmond, said she was being medically evacuated to South Florida. Miami’s Local 10 News said the first lady had been taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital in stable but critical condition, with gunshot wounds to her arms and thigh. 
• A nation of 11 million and the poorest in the Americas, Haiti has been terrorized for months by gang violence, driving thousands from their homes. President Moise, accused by human rights groups of links to the gangs, was ruling by decree and increasingly seen as an autocrat. Elections were scheduled for September but concerns were growing about whether they would be held. 
• With a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita of US$1,149.50 and a Human Development Index ranking of 170 out of 189 countries in 2020, Haiti remains the poorest country in the Latin America and Caribbean region and among the poorest countries in the world. The Haitian economy contracted by 3.7% in 2020 (IMF) as the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the already weak economy and political instability. The country is expected to expand by 1% this year however its vulnerability to natural disasters, a potential worsening of the viral outbreak, and a resurgence of civil unrest could undermine this forecast.

(Source: Bloomberg & NCBCM Research)