Reeling from the shock of its president’s assassination, the Consulate General of Haiti has spent the last week providing space for remembrance, engaging with both its diaspora and the international community in Atlanta.
The consulate Thursday is to host a candle lighting ceremony on behalf of slain President Jovenel Moïse, who was shot in his home July 7. More than two dozen people have been arrested in connection with the mysterious attack, most of them Colombian mercenaries that had come into the country through the Dominican Republic. Three Americans are among those detained, including a doctor with ties to Florida and now accused by police of masterminding the attack.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is assisting in the investigation at the request of the Haitian government, and the U.S. has also pledged to send vaccines to the country, which is dealing with the pandemic on top of a political crisis that was already spiraling before Mr. Moïse was killed. He had ruled by decree since 2018. New premier Ariel Henry, who Mr. Moise named prime minister days before his death, was sworn in Tuesday.
Haiti’s consulate was set up in Atlanta in the aftermath of a prior disaster, the 2010 earthquake whose death toll by some estimated reached into the hundreds of thousands. Many displaced Haitians emigrated to the U.S. at the time as they gained temporary protected status from the U.S. government.
Atlanta nonprofits like CARE, MedShare and Global Health Action and others were active in the country’s recovery, helping rebuild homes and lives while developing health infrastructure, training entrepreneurs and providing mental health support. Delta Air Lines served the country with a nonstop flight.
Consul General Roudelyne Nogar Jean, the second to occupy her post, sent a letter to the international community July 19 noting that the consulate had opened a condolence book and was planning the remembrance ceremony Thursday. Mr. Moïse’s wife, Martine Moïse, was also critically wounded in the assault and returned to the country July 17 after receiving medical treatment in Miami.
During an April Global Atlanta forum with her Caribbean colleagues, Ms. Jean estimated that 80,000 people of Haitian descent live in Georgia. She hosted a visit by the country’s ambassador to the United States in the weeks following and was hopeful that 2022 could bring the prospect of renewed economic development that had been stalled as trade and tourism were curtailed during the pandemic.
In a letter to Ms. Jean dated July 15, Gov. Brian Kemp expressed his best wishes to the Haitian people:
“Georgia is blessed to be home to such a diverse international community, and our condolences and sympathies are with your nation during this time. We condemn this deplorable acts of violence and will continue to keep the president first lady and your countrymen in our hearts and prayers.”
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms sent a similar letter a few days earlier:
“The loss of life through a brutal and senseless act of violence is particularly heartbreaking. Our thoughts and prayers are with Haitians everywhere,” she wrote.
Many Atlanta-based diplomats, including the consuls general of Mexico and Nigeria, have stopped by the consulate to sign the condolence book and show solidarity with the country.
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