The Haitian community here has been shaken by the assassination of that country’s president. The Guardian’s item on Jovenal Moïse hints at reasons he wasn’t universally popular there, but makes no attempt to explain why the attackers claimed to be the American DEA or spoke Spanish with each other.
Update: Local media are looking more closely at the recent situation in Haiti and deploring the country’s inability to come to a fair balance with the rule of law.
The Journal observes that one third of Montreal’s murders this year have taken place in Montreal North. Of 12 killings, four have happened in that borough. Note the suave quote from Guy Ryan, who used to be an inspector in the SPVM’s organized crime section, without mentioning he’s also the son of Yves Ryan, mayor of the area from 1963 till 2001 when it was amalgamated into the big city.
In tangential news, a study will examine why Montreal North was so hard hit by the pandemic.
The Quebec English School Board Association (QESBA) has been excluded from hearings on Bill 96, the CAQ’s tightening up of language laws. They are not happy.
Looks like Tom Mulcair was right when he said these hearings are a sham meant to provide only the appearance of democratic debate process:
https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2021/07/02/loi-96-cest-arrange-avec-le-gars-des-vues
The fix is in for sure and it makes me super uncomfortable seeing a provincial government in Canada adopting the same tactics as the QAnon-Republican parrty down south.
A young man was shot, non-fatally, in St-Michel on Tuesday evening. In that useful journalistic shorthand, he’s known to police.
qatzelok 09:48 on 2021-07-08 Permalink
The USA-France-Canada gang kidnapped Haiti’s president a few years back, and replaced him with a vassal.
Then the UN sent in troops who brought cholera, and defended the puppet presidents that were installed.
There is no mention of all this international piracy in MSM’s coverage of this story.
David644 12:19 on 2021-07-08 Permalink
In the video of the door breach, the kill squad clearly shouts DEA in an American accent, but also speaks kreyol and not Spanish. The people recording clearly surmise that it’s Haitian police with whites entering the president’s compound. The video has up to 10 men in the kill group and 3 trucks. The president and hit wife were hit by at least 20 bullets from three weapons, including assault rifles (based in gauge). The men in the video are clearly carrying assault rifles. No other occupants of the home were killed (maid and son were tied up, as were three Haitian police guards).
Much remains to be clarified, but Haitian authorities claim that they arrived on site at the president’s compound, and after an hours-long gun battle killed 4 “foreign mercenaries” and arrested two others. The police and other home occupants were unharmed, and are not suspected of involvement.
After the assassination, the airports were closed, DR closed their borders (which is already very tight due to rampant illegal crossings), and a nationwide manhunt was initiated for additional perpetrators. This has left to the arrest of at least 20, including both foreigners and Haitians. If there are additional commandos, they’re looking at some tough odds unless there’s a hideout somewhere – in addition to how unusual foreigners are there, the US is using its capabilities to assist in the investigation, including radar and aerial surveillance, making escape more difficult.
The Haitians have claimed that at least one of the captured kill squad speaks Spanish as his native language, the other survivor appears to be Haitian. Most of the Haitians-in-the-know who have gone on record believe this was orchestrated from within Haiti. The suspect list is long, but also pretty clear: it was an expensive operation and a power transition was imminent.
It is not clear who’s in charge right now, or what being in charge actually means. The country appears to be shifting into two broad factions, and there is a distinct prospect of some shambolic version of a civil war. In the background, criminal gangs associated with different politicians control different turfs, and it’s a tinderbox. Several commenters have raised the possibility of another US or French intervention.
Wild stuff!
Kate 13:44 on 2021-07-08 Permalink
What are your sources on all this, David?
Blork 14:14 on 2021-07-08 Permalink
According to this Washington Post article, one of the six captured alleged hit team members is a U.S, citizen, but the important detail is “of Haitian descent.” (The article says another of the six might fit the same profile.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/07/08/haiti-president-assassinated/
It’s an important detail because people who skim will only pick up on “U.S. citizen” and will jump to the conclusion that this was a CIA operation or otherwise sanctioned by the U.S. Far more likely is that these two people live in the U.S. and have U.S. citizenship but identify as “Haitian” and therefore were recruited on that basis by whomever was behind this assassination.
The claims that the hit team was yelling “DEA operation” are indisputable, as it’s been captured on tape. But it’s pretty clear that it was a Trojan Horse tactic; posing as DEA agents likely bought them time and access, as Moïse’s security people might have been uncertain about what to do and reluctant to fire on what they thought were American cops.
David844 16:12 on 2021-07-08 Permalink
Yeah, listening to the video, you have a sense that whoever is shouting “DEA” is an English speaker likely of African descent. Makes perfect sense for it to be a Haitian American, even if the voice does not sound accented. Also, the full video shows at least 15 commandos, including the drivers of the trucks.
Apparently, after four more men were nabbed in the capital, the total number of commandos in custody has now reached 6 (I guess including our Spanish speaker and two Americans, one of which is 100% confirmed as a Haitian (James Solages), allegedly a former security officer at the Canadian embassy), and government forces have surrounded two buildings in Port Au Prince where an unspecified number of additional conspirators are apparently holed up. No reports of gunfire so far at that location, but another suspect is said to have been shot dead, raising the total to 7.
A mob attacked two spanish-speaking foreigners and turned them over to police, another mob grabbed two white looking guys, also turning them over to police.
.
I’m getting this stuff from a mix of official sources and twitter.
David844 16:28 on 2021-07-08 Permalink
Further details on two of the “whites” who were arrested: they are Latinos and they were discovered in some bushes shimmying along the ground just outside the capital. The two Spanish speakers are rumored to be Colombian based on their accents, though for some reason people in Haiti are very convinced the Colombians are involved. This is also a popular rumor in DR. The putative Colombians were caught miles from the capital, and badly injured by the mob. A photo of one of the dead has also emerged, and he too is clearly Latino.
The most common rumor out of online Haiti right now is that elements of the Presidential Guard (Unité Securité Générale Palais National) is involved at the very center, and coordinated the infiltration of the Colombians via DR. The Haitian Americans were maybe there for the DEA trick and to speak Kreyol and give the whole thing some realism until the police on site were overwhelmed.
The firefight in Pelerin lasted over an hour.
David844 16:51 on 2021-07-08 Permalink
Very wild stuff.
These Colombians got greedy: apparently they spent several hours after the killing looting the president’s compound, burning precious time to make their escape. Some have speculated that the real payoff could have been cash money in the president’s home.
By the way, if people want to see the raid video with translation, here it is: https://twitter.com/i/status/1412900239229472770
David844 17:58 on 2021-07-08 Permalink
Three of the dead kill squad members have been positively identified as foreigners. Of the seven.dead in.the gun fight, four were dead on the scene and three pronounced in hospital – meaning it’s possible there are more in hospital.
A minimum of six commandos are holed up in Port-au-Prince, surrounded by authorities.
Angry crowds have gathered in significant numbers in towns across the country, except the capital, which is dead quiet as martial law has been imposed. One wonders if the masterminds intended to raise this reaction, or if they underestimated the blowback.
The government believes the commando numbered twenty-six, which is basically a full platoon, and a very impressive and expensive operation.
MarcG 18:33 on 2021-07-08 Permalink
Can anyone recommend a good book about Haiti?
david844 19:16 on 2021-07-08 Permalink
Abandoned commando discovered in the countryside are in English and French.
Looks like the commandos surrounded by Haitian authorities in the two buildings in Port-Au-Prince have surrendered, here you have 11 captured commandos, looking pretty glum: https://twitter.com/i/status/1413257312010227713
Over $40,000 in cash, as well as cheques, and a variety of other possessions belonging to the president have been recovered from the captured and killed commandos. Curiously, they also stole video from the president’s home, it’ll be interesting to learn if this video is of the incident only, or there is something else incriminating on there.
There’s a standing order to detain any Colombian coming or going at the DR border. The PM of the county revealed to a reporter that the commandos are Colombian, Venezuelan, and Haitian. The authorities are certain that they were paid and the ingress more and more appears to be DR.
If people are interested, the Haitian conspirator (James Solages) has a pretty active online life, and people are trolling his family and spilling details about him online. The most explosive is this one, summarized in a semi-professional online news site: “within moments of the name making news, scores of Haitians said on social media that Solages used to work as a security guard for both Reginald Boulos and Dimitri Vorbe.” Reginald Boulos is Oligarch suspect No. 1 in this murder, and Dimitri Vorbe was mentioned before Solages was even arrested. This is something to watch – if it’s true, it could blow the entire thing wide open.
Another video of the assassination has emerged, and questions are emerging as to how the convoy (now confirmed at 5 vehicles) was allowed through and unchallenged. Might be the DEA thing, might be corruption, might be conspiracy, might be incompetence, but it’s strange.
Photos have emerged of the president’s dead body – he was fully clothed for some reason.
david844 20:07 on 2021-07-08 Permalink
All of the kill squad captured so far: https://twitter.com/i/status/1413285284989521921 Lots of interesting notes to this one. As far as I can tell, all of the captured commandos we’ve seen on video so far are accounted for here, even the wounded guy on the floor. Also, note that the two Haitian guys still have their combat boots on, but none of the others do – there’s a very good chance that these guys were captured during the initial shootout and never got to drop their kit and change into their civilian clothes. Very likely means that that they were the two original captures, and that the captured Spanish-speaking commando the Haitians initially described may have been fatality no. 5, 6, or 7 at the hospital, post-firefight.
On this, the Haitians now believe that the total squad was 28 people, according to them they’ve captured or killed 20, and believe 8 remain at large. Where they get that 28 number isn’t clear – but seems like there could be only three reasonable sources: interrogation of their captives, some evidence (a ship manifest for 28 passengers, for instance), or video.
Some of the conspiracies that have emerged:
This was done by the CIA/French/OAS because of oil newly discovered in Haiti, racism, etc. This is supported with a lot of (apparently false) information about the nationalities of those captured, particularly the more light-skinned commandos, who in one video are clearly speaking Spanish.
Theory: This is related to Covid vaccines – the powers that be killed the president because he was anti-vax, and they want to impose vaccines on the Haitians. Oh yeah, that has to be it.
This is a move to consolidate the power of the PM, who controls a faction of the ruling party and serves several very important oligarchs, with support and coordination from elements of the police, presidential guard, and other parts of the security apparatus. (The Haitian Oligarchs are a bunch of European-Haitians, Arab-Haitians, and Jewish-Haitians who control vast swathes of the economy, and who the current president was scrapping with some.) There’s some decent circumstantial evidence for this theory, and I like this one.
CE 20:23 on 2021-07-08 Permalink
@MarcG Yves Engler wrote a short report about Canada’s involvement in the overthrow of the government in Haiti a while ago. I read it when it came out but I remember it being interesting.
MarcG 20:27 on 2021-07-08 Permalink
@CE: Thanks, I like his writing. Bonus points for bringing things back to Montreal.
david844 20:50 on 2021-07-08 Permalink
Some corrections to some of the above ‘reporting.’ 28 commandos, 2 Haitians and 26 Colombians, not clear that there are any Venezuelans, per the national police chief. Totals are: 15 captured, 7 killed, 6 at large. Lockdown is still on at the border and ports, and no Colombian is getting out. DR is fully cooperating and most of the good news is coming out of Spanish DR accounts. Woe unto any Colombians on Hispaniola this evening.
Also, almost all of the commandos were taken into custody in their combat boots, but these were subsequently seized from all but the Haitian commandos for an unknown reason.
The other Haitian commando has been tentatively (ie. Haitian crowd-sourced) identified as one Olivier Gertan, a background for which is helpfully provided by this graphic: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E5z_VAJVIAQAkHp?format=jpg&name=medium
If you look into Solages, you find that he was very into politics (which in Haiti is a way into money) and both of these guys look like peripheral players in a highly connected world. Solages is said too to have been a member of Michel Martelly’s entourage.
The Haitians have also been releasing the names of the commandos, which I leave to others to look up. Could be something interesting pops up there too, certainly we’ll be learning about how they got onto the island.
—
On the rest, very Canadian to want to “me too” into the overthrow of the Haitian government.
In the modern, post-communist era, the big problem for Haiti wasn’t control by the wealthy countries, but disinterest. You have some of the most degraded soil in the western hemisphere, some of the lowest rates of education, highest rates of violent crime, you name it. At the same time, the richest Haitians are almost all non-black (mostly Arab or Mulatto), and there’s a native power structure that they’ve paid for over a couple generations, during Duvalier’s reign and after his fall. Nothing to do with the West, except that the Haitians funnel our direct aid into the pockets of their elite instead of using it effectively whenever they can, and rich Haitians have second homes in Europe/America and likely educate their children there.
White folks a half world away love to celebrate their power by endlessly talking about how bad it is and how guilty they feel about it, especially when it comes to the dark commercial ventures of their ancestors (well, more like those of some Americans and French, but most whites don’t make that distinction). It’s a strange sort of thrill some people seem to get by explaining to the world that they have a special power over others, but feel very guilty about it. The fact, however, is that they are not responsible for the success or failure of anyone in Haiti or anyone else, really. There is no “we” in that sense.
If you want to read a book about why Haiti is where it is, ready Elizabeth Abbott’s most recent one, which accurately outlines all the initial sources the “we are to blame” crowd expects (the US, French, etc.) and then also actually goes into why Haiti works how it does (a very strange dictatorial system set up by Duvalier, completely ineffective state investments and institutions, the local oligarchy, kleptocracy as the organizing principle of government), etc. You’ll come away with a lot of knowledge!
MarcG 20:58 on 2021-07-08 Permalink
@David: You don’t have to be such a pompous dick about but I thank you as well for the recommendation, which I assume is “Haiti: A Shattered Nation”.
david844 21:05 on 2021-07-08 Permalink
Yeah, I think I read it as “A Modern History of Haiti” but it’s the same year of publication on a different publisher, so my guess is that Shattered Nation was the limited print and that it was pushed up to a second, wider print with a more inviting and generalist title (“Modern History”). Long way of saying that I think they’re the same book and, yeah, it’s Shattered History.
david844 21:36 on 2021-07-08 Permalink
Colombia’s defense minister himself has confirmed that all 26 of the named assassins are indeed ex-military, out of their national army. Interpol has the names of the at large, who are now subject to a global manhunt. I bet that Colombia will probably offer a reward for them if they’re not caught soon.
Colombian opposition has seized on this whole issue of “exporting mercenaries,” but it’s not getting wall-to-wall coverage in that media, and doesn’t look like it’ll end up as a national scandal. Scanning various other Latin American front pages, it’s not a big deal there either (nothing at all on Argentina’s Nacion site). The Haitians, for their part, have not (that I’ve seen) said anything at all about Colombia itself, nor has DR.
Similarly, while some European news outlets are gleefully continuing to report these naturalized Haitian-Americans as “Americans” full stop, but the Haitians have not done that a single time that I’ve seen, not in a single communique – clearly, they understand the implication, understand their population will also, and do not want to serve any anti-US agenda.
I think this is it for the day. Very exciting series of events!
david844 21:54 on 2021-07-08 Permalink
Spoke too soon, they got another one of these guys: https://twitter.com/journalladiaspo/status/1413303841647386636
They’re probably still in country!
Also, Colombian passports were part of the ‘dope on the table’: https://twitter.com/i/status/1413309377898024960
david844 15:31 on 2021-07-09 Permalink
One last one. Correction on the name of the second Haitian conspirator, and update on their story:
https://nypost.com/2021/07/09/james-solages-and-joseph-vincent-say-haiti-attack-was-planned-for-a-month/
A very believable story:
“The Haitian-American suspects, James Solages and Joseph Vincent, told Judge Clément Noël that they had met with other members of the murder squad at a ritzy hotel in Pétionville, a suburb of Port-au-Prince, over the past month to plan the attack, the Times reported.
The pair maintained that the group did not intend to kill Moïse but instead sought to simply arrest him, Noël told the Times.
Solages and Vincent also claimed to have acted just as translators for the hit squad, which included a number of Colombians who spoke Spanish, according to the report. The men told the judge they had found the job in a posting online.”
Also, in addition to the guy above, the police jumped in to prevent him from machete mob justice.
The Colombians were recruited by four private companies, and traveled to DR in two groups, then traveled on to Haiti in different groups from May 10 to June 6. It doesn’t appear that they got visas to enter Haiti.
The spouse of one of the commandos said the monthly pay was $2,700, he told her he was doing personal protection of a wealthy family.
11 of the suspects were arrested after either breaking into the Taiwanese embassy – not that this came up yesterday but I left it out because I saw it getting play on Russian troll accounts, and thought it was Chinese disinformation.
One of the dead commandos was found after he bled out on someone’s property, and the number of killed in battle was mysteriously revised down to only 3. Wonder what happened there.