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Jovenel Moise dead – Haiti President assassinated after gunmen posing as DEA agents storm his home

THE President of Haiti was assassinated after a group of gunmen reportedly stormed his home posing as DEA agents.

Residents of the neighbourhood reported hearing massive gunfire and seeing men dressed in black running through the streets last night.

The President of Haiti was shot dead last night by a gang reportedly claiming to be DEA agentsCredit: AP

Haiti's First Lady Martine Moïse was hospitalised after she was injured during the attack last nightCredit: EPA

The gunmen claimed to be agents with the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the Miami Herald reports.

In one video, filmed by a resident of the Port-au-Prince neighbourhood, a man with an American accent is heard shouting in English through a megaphone, "DEA operation. Everybody stand down. DEA operation. Everybody back up, stand down.”

But sources told the paper that the group, one of whom spoke with an American accent, were not with the agency. 

One high-ranking Haitian government official told the Miami Herald "these were mercenaries".

The President's death will likely throw the country into further chaos as the country becomes more politically polarised and with 59 percent of the population living below the poverty line.

In recent years, the small Caribbean country has been plagued by natural disasters and cycles of violence and economic turmoil.

The Prime Minister of Haiti confirmed the attack and said that a group stormed the private residence of President Jovenel Moïse and shot him dead.

It has been reported that the president was killed at his home in the capital of Port-au-Prince at 1am.

The first lady, Martine Moïse, was hospitalised after she was reportedly injured in the attack.

Prime Minister Claude Joseph's statement said: “A group of individuals who have not been identified, some of whom were speaking Spanish, attacked the private residence of the President of the Republic and fatally injured the Head of State."

The president was 53 years old. 

Mr Joseph condemned what he called a hateful, inhumane and barbaric act, adding that Haiti's National Police had the situation under control.

Videos captured by people living in the same neighbourhood as the President suggested that the group claimed to be DEA agents.

In February, opposition politicians nominated their own president in an effort to drive out Moise whose five-year term had expired.

Joseph Mécène Jean-Louis, 72, a judge, said that he accepted the nomination. 

Moïse insisted his term in office ended in February 2022 - a claim accepted by the United States.

In a statement today, the U.S Embassy in Haiti said that it would be closed to due to an "ongoing security situation".

President Joe Biden will be briefed on the "tragic attack", the White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.

Boris Johnson said the assassination of Mr Moïse was an "abhorrent act" and appealed for calm in the country.