Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Opposition Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs Lisa Hanna have both expressed sadness at the shocking assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise on Wednesday (July 7).

Holness, in a brief statement, called Moise’s death a heinous act that has stained Haitian democracy and plunged the Caribbean into mourning.

The prime minister added that he spoke with President Moise on several occasions and purportedly got the impression he was committed to the development of Haiti.

“This morning the world awoke to the shocking and tragic news of the assassination of Haiti’s President His Excellency Jovenel Moise. I have met and spoken with President Moise many times and in all my interactions with him, particularly within the context of CARICOM, I found him to be a man committed to seeing Haiti take her place in the world. This heinous act is a stain on Haiti and a sorrowful time for the region. May God be a special covering over his family and over the people of Haiti during this dark time in the nation’s history,” he said.

Lisa Hanna, for her part, prayed for Haiti’s stability in light of the Moise assassination as the event ‘cast a dark cloud over the Caribbean’.

“It’s a sad day for Haiti’s democracy having learnt of the assassination of President His Excellency Jovenel Moise and his wife. This has casted a dark cloud over the region and I pray for stability especially during this time,” Hanna wrote on her Facebook page.

Moise, who celebrated his 53rd birthday just last week, was shot dead by unidentified attackers in his private residence overnight in the capital Port-au-Prince in what Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph called an “inhuman and barbaric act”.

Joseph, confirming that Moise’s wife was also injured in the pre-dawn attack, further explained that the Haitian police and army had the security situation under control.

His statement comes as a contradiction of the country’s current reality, however, as gunshots could be heard throughout the capital after the attack, which occurred amid a rising wave of politically linked violence in the Caribbean nation.

Update (9:22 am local time): Opposition Leader Mark Golding, reacting to the brutal killing of the Haitian leader, said he stands in solidarity with the French-speaking country in its time of turmoil.

“The assassination of Haiti’s Pres. Jovenel Moïse and his wife First Lady Martine Moïse has shocked the world. The invasion of their private home amplifies the brutality of the act. We condemn this heinous crime and express our condolences to their friends and family and stand in solidarity with the people of Haiti in this most challenging time,” he indicated.

• See related article: Haitian president assassinated at home in ‘barbaric act’-PM