Haiti seeks US and UN support to secure ports after president’s assassination

Haiti’s acting prime minister Claude Joseph has asked both the US and the UN to send troops to help secure Haiti’s sea, air and oil ports after the assassination last week of president Jovenel Moïse.

“We definitely need assistance and we’ve asked our international partners for help,” Joseph told The Associated Press.

The US responded by sending a delegation of FBI and Department of Homeland Security officials to Haiti to assist in the investigation into Moïse’s murder and assess the security situation in the country. A senior administration official said there are no plans to provide military assistance at this time.

Port operations in Haiti were stopped after the assassination. Operations at Port-au-Prince’s Toussaint Louverture International Airport recommenced on July 9, but it’s not clear if seaports have reopened.

The interim government declared a state of siege in effect throughout the country until at least July 22.