PRESIDENT BURIAL: People gathered to say goodbye to Haitian President Jovenel Moïse. Photo: Matias Delacroix / AP
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Tear gas was both shot and used outside the funeral of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.
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The state funeral is taking place in the north of the country in the historic city of Cap-Haiti, which has become increasingly turbulent since the July 7 killings.
Despite very strict security measures, shots were heard outside the funeral throughout the ceremony. As a result, the US delegation, led by the country’s UN Ambassador Linda Thomas Greenfield, left the funeral quickly. The UN Special Envoy to Haiti, Helen La Lime, did the same.
The funeral lasted several hours, and Moses’ coffin was covered with the Haitian flag, the presidential ribbon, and flowers.
The situation in Haiti, which was tense even before the president was assassinated in his home two weeks ago, has deteriorated sharply after the assassination.
Wounded widow spoke
One by one, condolences to representatives of foreign governments Moïse’s widow Martine, who was also wounded in the attack that cost her husband her life.
She had her arm in a sling and was wearing a black hat. The widow had spent ten days in a hospital in Miami, Florida, where she was flown after the attack.
—-WOUNDED WIDOW: Jovenel Moïse’s widow Martine, who was also injured in the attack that cost her husband her life, spoke at the funeral. Photo: Matias Delacroix / AP
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– What had he done to deserve such a punishment? she asked in emotional speech. She longed for Haitian politics, which she called rotten and unfair.
Her praise of Moses could indicate that he was a popular man in Haiti, which he was not. Many have accused him of poor management, but also of not stepping aside.
Used tear gas against protesters
Reuters writes that the police used tear gas against protesters outside, while several eyewitnesses told the news agency that they heard the sound of gunfire.
According to Reuters, there have been no reports of injuries and no one at the funeral should be in danger. also left the funeral, according to the Miami Herald.
When the country’s police chief Leon Charles arrived at the funeral, just before it was to begin, the crowd shouted: “Killer”, while others asked where the president was, the newspaper writes.
The president was killed in his home by a group of mercenaries, most of them from Colombia. He turned 53 years old. Many of the details of the attack are still unclear.
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