Attack Against Haiti’s De Facto Prime Minister on Independence Day (+Core Group)

04 Jan 2022

Ariel Henry - Photo: AP

The Core Group chose Ariel Henry as the de-factor president of Haiti, in defiance of the people's wishes. But a conflict among factions makes his position insecure and resulted in a recent assassination attempt.

This article was originally published in Orinoco Tribune.

On Saturday, January 1, a terrorist attack took place against the de facto Prime Minister of Haiti, Ariel Henry, in what constitutes another assassination attempt of a head of state of the Caribbean island country after the assassination of former President Jovenel Moïse on July 7, 2021.

The failed attack occurred in Gonaïves, the city where on January 1, 1804, Jean-Jacques Dessalines had declared the independence of Haiti from France and read out the Act of Independence. On the 218-year celebration of that event, de facto Prime Minister Henry participated in a religious ceremony in a church of the city, where the assassination attempt took place.

Although Henry was unharmed amid the confusion and gunfire, the incident resulted in at least one death and several injuries. This incident forced the suspension of the rest of the activities scheduled as part of the independence celebrations.

A video of the incident circulated on social media, showing the moment when the Haitian prime minister, accompanied by other officials, left the custody of security agents and entered the church. Seconds later, shots and bursts were heard from the crowd.

The video further showed how the guards managed to evacuate the official from the area after leaving the Cathedral of Saint Charles de Borome, the site where a Te Deum service was being held—an emblematic act celebrated on important dates and special occasions.

Violence returns
Six months after the assassination of then-President Jovenel Moïse, the people of Haiti were forced to relive the shock of that assassination with this new episode of violence that marked the beginning of 2022. However, it should be remembered that it was during Moïse’s rule when paramilitary groups and gangs reached unprecedented notoriety.

The new assassination attempt came while the investigation into those responsible for the July 2021 assassination, led by a group of Colombian mercenaries, is progressing at a very slow pace. There is also evidence that drug trafficking groups were involved in Moïse’s murder.

After the tragic death of the Haitian president last year, it was revealed that he had prepared a list of businessmen and politicians whom he would accuse of having links with drug trafficking. Those names were supposed to be revealed to the United States government, according to Jovenel Moïse’s plan, even though the US and the DEA are connected with drug-trafficking all over the world.

In fact, according to the testimony of Martine Moïse, the president’s widow who survived the attack, the hitmen had carefully searched the president’s room, looking for documents after carrying out the assassination. It is important to highlight that Moïse was a very unpopular ruler, who had unconstitutionally extended his term and was considered a puppet of the CORE group. His wife is similarly viewed by many Haitians.

Foreign interference
Haiti has become a laboratory for a new form of foreign intervention, led by the United States and its allies, and also by multilateral organizations. For the last four years those who rule Haiti are the members of the Core Group, made up of the ambassadors from the United States, France, Spain, Brazil, Germany, Canada, and the EU, as well as representatives from the UN and the OAS. The Core Group does not govern Haiti directly; instead, its members exercise influence through the power of their diplomatic missions. The Core Group maintains control of all major political decisions in the country, including the controversial decision of appointing Henry as Moïse’s successor.

José Manuel Blanco Diaz is Vice President of the Radio Miraflores Foundation |http://radiomiraflores.net.ve | Presenter of UCV Social Communication | UCV announcer

Haiti

CORE Group

Ariel Henry

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