Gunfire, tear gas and attacks: The funeral of the Haitian president is on the rise

Friday 23 July 2021

Gunshots, tear gas and attacks
The funeral of the president of Haiti is on the rise

Security was tight at the funeral of President Moss, who was assassinated two weeks ago. Senior politicians and ambassadors pay their last respects to the head of state of Haiti. When the shots suddenly hit, many of them walked out of the ceremony.

The state funeral of Haitian President Jovanel Moss was violently submerged despite strong security measures. At a ceremony for the 53-year-old who was killed two weeks ago, gunfire erupted in the northern city of Cape-Hatian, with security forces using tear gas. Some of the mourners then fled the place of burial. Barricades were set up in the city and vehicles were set on fire.

Members of government, representatives of foreign governments and ambassadors gathered for the afternoon outdoor ceremony. The coffin of the President was covered with a red, white and blue Haitian flag, with President Zach on top of it. First, the ceremony, which lasted several hours, went without incident. Some of the participants fled amid clouds of tears as gunfire erupted outside the burial ground and police used tear gas.

Clashes had already erupted in the city earlier this week, with police chief Leon Charles inspecting security precautions for the funeral. Many in the north accuse security forces of not protecting Moses adequately. On Friday, several streets in Cape-Hattion were blocked by flames and cars on fire. Many shops were burnt down. Local and foreign journalists were attacked by protesters.

Widow blames Haitian politics

Moss was shot dead by a mob at his home in the capital, Port-au-Prince, on the night of July 7. According to police, “26 Colombians and two U.S. citizens of Haitian descent” belong to the command. More than 20 have since been arrested. According to police, the attack was linked to Haitian political aspirations and foreigners.

Martin, Moses’ widow, who flew to Florida for treatment after being injured in an attack on her husband before her funeral at the family home, complained in her reputation that her husband had been “brutally murdered.” “What crime did you commit for such a punishment?” She asked. The widow called Haitian politics “rotten and unjust” and said her husband had tried to change it. The “whole organization” turned against him “overnight”. Yet she does not want “revenge or violence”.

The killings plunged the Caribbean country, already marked by instability and extreme poverty, into an even deeper crisis. After the postponement of a parliamentary election scheduled for 2018, due to protests against him, Moss finally issued an order for Haiti.