The president of Haiti was assassinated at home

Haitian President Jovenel Moïse

Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

• Jovenel Moïse was killed by a group of assailants at his home early Wednesday morning.
• The government did not identify the perpetrators, but said they were speaking Spanish.
• The first lady was also injured by gunshot.
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The serving president of Haiti was assassinated at his home early Wednesday morning, the government said. He was 53.

Jovenel Moïse was killed in his private residence in Port-au-Prince around 1 a.m. local time Wednesday by a group of assailants, Haitian Prime Minister Claude Joseph said in a Wednesday statement. The first lady was also injured by gunshot, the statement said.

Joseph was now in charge of the country, Agence France-Presse reported.

Joseph's statement did not identify the assailants, but said they were Spanish-speaking. The main languages spoken in Haiti are Haitian Creole and French.

Moïse and his wife Martine in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on November 28, 2016, after he won the country's 2016 presidential election.

Jeanty Junior Augustin/Reuters

The attack on Moïse followed years of protests against his government, and calls for his resignation. Moïse has served as Haiti's president since February 2017.

Joseph described the attack as "odious, inhumane, and barbarous."

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