Haitian President Jovenel Moise has been assassinated at his home, interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph said.
A group of unidentified individuals attacked the private resident of Moise overnight on Wednesday and shot him dead, Joseph said. The first lady was hospitalised in the attack.
Moise had been ruling Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, by decree after legislative elections due in 2018 were delayed and following disputes on when his own term ended.
Joseph said he was now in charge of the country.
“All measures are being taken to guarantee the continuity of the state and to protect the nation,” Joseph said. Gunshots could be heard throughout the capital.
