Haiti Coup?

Double sevens were not at all lucky for the President of Haiti, Jovenel Moïse. He was assassinated overnight. The Prime minister says an attack carried out by armed commando group’ that included foreign elements. First Lady Martine Moïse was injured in the attack and is receiving medical treatment.

The assassination of Jovenel Moïse is drawing condemnation from world leaders, along with calls for calm and unity in Haiti.

A coup d'état is the removal and seizure of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal, unconstitutional seizure of power by a political faction, the military, or a dictator. Many scholars consider a coup successful when the usurpers seize and hold on to power. 

The assassination followed widespread street protests against the Moïse government, which faced many accusations of corruption and rampant abuses of political power.

The government of Haiti was already in a precarious political situation before the president’s assassination, having grown increasingly unstable and disgruntled under Moïse. He ruled by decree for more than two years after the country failed to hold elections and the opposition demanded he steps down in recent months.

I have been to Haiti. The Caribbean island of Hispaniola is shared by The Dominican Republic, which speaks Spanish, and Haiti where folks speak French creole. Haiti has suffered economic, political, and social problems that have progressively deepened, with gang violence in the capital of Port-au-Prince, increasing inflation as food and fuel are scarce at times in a country where 60 percent of the population makes less than $2 a day. These come as Haiti continues to recover from a one-two punch. The devastating 2010 earthquake and Hurricane Matthew that struck in 2016.

Haitian president assassinated by gunmen at home, state of emergency declared http://reut.rs/3yvcLal

President of Haiti Jovenal Moise 'is shot dead in nighttime raid' https://mol.im/a/9764321 

Haiti President Jovenel Moïse assassinated in middle-of-the-night  attack at his home https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/haiti/arti…