The leader of one of Haiti’s main political parties and former presidential candidate was assassinated on Friday in the southern suburbs of the capital, the party’s spokesman told AFP on Saturday.
Éric Jean Baptiste, 52, secretary general of the Rally of Progressive National Democrats (RDNP), was shot and killed on Friday evening, announced Ricardo Nordin, spokesman for the RDNP.
“His vehicle was riddled with bullets. His security guard died at the scene. Éric Jean Baptiste passed away at the hospital,” said Mr. Nordin.
The RDNP was founded in 1979 by Christian Democrat Leslie Manigat, who was briefly president of Haiti in 1988 before a military coup ended his term.
Less than a week ago, Mr. Jean Baptiste had co-signed with other political parties a call for a historic compromise to get Haiti out of the crisis.
The poor Caribbean country is facing gangs that sow terror and a deteriorating health situation with a strong resurgence of cholera.
The assassination of Éric Jean Baptiste comes a few days after the attempted murder of an investigative journalist from the Haitian daily Le Nouvelliste, who was shot on the morning of October 25.
Monday, October 24, the lifeless body of another journalist, also a radio host, was also found under a bridge in the city of Les Cayes in the south of the country, UNESCO demanding that light be shed on this death.
The Haitian government has appealed to the international community for help, including by sending a peacekeeping force, but this idea is not unanimous either among the Haitian population or within of the UN Security Council, and no country has yet offered to lead it.
However, the Security Council last week imposed a battery of sanctions targeting the criminal gangs that are sowing chaos in Haiti.