President Ali condemns assassination of Haitian President
President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, Dr. Irfaan Ali
President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, Dr. Irfaan Ali

-pledges to work with CARICOM to help restore peace in Haiti
-Golden Arrowhead to be flown at half-staff

PRESIDENT of Guyana, Dr. Irfaan Ali, has strongly condemned the assassination of the President of the Republic of Haiti, Jovenel Moïse, describing it as a “horrific act” that is a tragedy for both Haiti and the Caribbean region at large.
Dr. Ali, in a statement, expressed his “shock,” noting that he was “stunned” by the tragic news. He explicitly stated that the persons responsible for the “indefensible” and “cowardly” execution must be brought swiftly to justice.
According to Haiti’s interim Prime Minister, Claude Joseph, who described the killing as a “hateful, inhumane and barbaric act,” a squad of “highly trained and heavily armed” persons assassinated Moïse, in an overnight raid on his Port-au-Prince home, at approximately 01:00 local time.

The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres

The country’s First Lady, Martine Moïse, was also wounded during the raid. Up to press time, it was reported that she arrived by plane in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States of America (USA) for treatment. It was reported by America’s National Broadcasting Company (NBC) News that she was in a critical condition.
Moïse had faced large, violent protests in recent months as his opposition and their supporters rejected his plans to hold a constitutional referendum with proposals that would strengthen the presidency. President Ali expressed that the killing compounds the “disquieting political and constitutional crisis in Haiti.”
“Political assassination has no place in the contemporary Caribbean. It solves nothing nor resolves anything. Such murderous actions are repugnant to the values of the regional integration movement and incompatible with democratic values and constitutional rule,” President Ali said in his statement on the killing.

Leader of the People’s National Congress (PNC), former President David Granger and the late President of the Republic of Haiti, Jovenel Moïse.

President Ali also told reporters on the sidelines of an event at Liliendaal, East Coast of Demerara, on Wednesday, that the killing represents a “tragic moment” for the Caribbean region, where such occurrences have no place.
He affirmed that Guyana will continue to work alongside the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in seeking to engage Haiti, to ensure there is peace and stability.
The Head of State expressed condolences on behalf of himself, the government and people of Guyana to the government and people of Haiti, and to the wife and family of Moïse.

Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne

He also asked that all Guyanese pay respectful homage to the memory of Moïse and declared that as a show of respect, national flags at all government ministries, agencies, and institutions, will be flown at half-staff.

“The Golden Arrowhead is to be flown at half-staff today [Wednesday], Thursday, Friday and on the day of the funeral of the late Head of State. That date is yet to be announced. Other CARICOM member states have agreed to do the same,” President Ali noted in a statement issued by the Office of the President.
Chairman of CARICOM, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, in a statement on Wednesday, explained that his government and the governments of CARICOM decries the violence that has engulfed the sister-CARICOM nation.

The Golden Arrowhead, Guyana’s national flag, being flown at half-staff at the First Family’s residence, the State House, on Carmichael Street, Georgetown.

“The late President was mired in a debate as to whether his term ended months ago, or continues until early next year,” Browne noted, as he expressed that: “the assassination … further complicates the jostling for power that has characterized the Haitian state and its future.”

“CARICOM will continue to work in close co-operation with the Haitian people, the United Nations, Organization of American States and the governments of France and the United States, in bringing a reasonable settlement to the state of uncertainty and instability that now threaten the peace and security in Haiti and our Community as a whole,” Browne said in his statement.
Leader of the People’s National Congress (PNC), former President, David Granger, also condemned what he described as the “hateful murder” of Moïse, noting that the occurrence which took the life of the late President and wounded his wife is “abhorrent and abominable.”
Granger also called on Haiti’s interim Prime Minister to preserve peace, maintain public order and bring the “culprits” responsible for the crime to justice. He further expressed deepest condolences to the Moïse family, and the people and the Government of the Republic of Haiti, on behalf of himself and the PNC.

The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, also condemned the killing and called on all Haitians to preserve the constitutional order, remain united in the face of this abhorrent act and reject all violence, noting the UN will continue to stand with the government and the people of Haiti.
The Organization of American States (OAS) also expressed condolences and solidarity to the family, the government and people of the Republic of Haiti. In condemning the crime committed against the life of the late President, the OAS called for a swift international investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Further, the organisation called on all sectors of government and society to remain calm and peaceful, as all forms of violence and intolerance are rejected.

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