As CHALLENGE goes to press on July 7, President Jovenel Moïse of Haïti was assassinated. At this time very little is known about the killers or why they took that action. The rumor mill has postulated that it was the U.S. DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) that carried out the killing, with armed agents speaking English and Spanish demanding that Moïse go into exile and when he refused, opened fire. Or maybe it was paid mercenaries by the opposition politicians. What we do think is that this seems to be a dogfight between the pro-government ins and the outs who want their share of the capitalist pie. No good will come of the situation for the workers and students of Haïti, as armed thugs in and out of uniform control the streets and the country remains under martial law. As the New York Times put it, “…the police and security members can enter homes, control traffic and take special security measures and all general measures that permit the arrest of the assassins…It also forbids meetings meant to excite or prepare for disorder.”
Moïse was supported fully by the OAS (Organization of American States) and the U.S. imperialists. We also know that Moïse was almost universally hated by the Haïtian masses, who had risen up in the tens of thousands against his regime many times, charging corruption in the PetroCaribe scandal, attempts to rewrite the Constitution to officially cancel the Senate (one of the two houses of Parliament), and to absolve the President of any crimes that may be committed in office, etc. Moïse has also overseen rampant gang violence that is terrorizing the working class and others, as well as the Covid-19 pandemic (there are no vaccines in Haïti and people are sick and dying mostly at home because there is virtually no medical care available).
What we do know is that only last week, well-known anti-Moïse Haitian journalist Diego Charles and activist Antoinette Duclaire joined a long list of people who were assassinated for their political views. And finally, what we do know with any certainty is that only by building the revolutionary communist Progressive Labor Party(PLP)  can this life that capitalism/imperialism has wrought in Haïti ever be changed. Our Party is struggling with friends and supporters to join us. Now is the time to stand up.