Yesterday marked the fourth anniversary of the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, and a memorial service was held to mark the occasion in the presence of Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, members of the Presidential Transitional Council, (CPT), the President of the Court of Cassation, Jean Joseph Lebrun, General-in-Chief of the Haitian Armed Forces (FAd’H), Derby Guerrier, Acting police commissioner Normil Rameau, and a host of other dignitaries. Speaking to the gathering, the Rev. Father Jean Robert Louis said that the tribute to the late president is well deserved since the president, a pious catholic who died for his country was kind, obedient, respectful, and frank who trusted his friends. As part of the anniversary celebrations, the EDE party, le parti Les Engagés pour le Développement (EDE) decided to inaugurate a conference center in honor of the 58th president. According to the party faithful, the former president was a leader determined to fight for the people, and this new conference center is intended as a space for reflection, but also for transmitting the values defended by the former head of state: social justice, equity, and national development. EDE hopes to inspire younger generations to continue the fight for a fairer and stronger Haiti. Claude Joseph, Chairman of the EDE Strategic Committee, delivered an emotional speech in which he condemned what he calls the triple assassination of their former leader: the assassination of the man, the assassination of his character, and the attempt to assassinate his memory. He added that the inauguration of the hall as an act of resistance, not allowing his memory to be assassinated. He went on to list the emblematic projects led by Jovenel Moïse, notably his ambition to generalize access to electricity throughout the country. The room is named the Jovenel Moïse Conference Room and is located at the party’s headquarters in Delmas 58.
Elsewhere, the violence continues to eat at the very core of the nation as eight people lost their lives and tens of others displaced internally as a result of the violent gang attacks last week in various neighborhoods in the commune of Las Cahobas in the Central Plateau department in the eastern part of the country. Desvarieux, Chambrun, and Sarrazins, located about twenty kilometers from the Haitian-Dominican border, were directly targeted by the gangs, causing panic among the population. In addition to the loss of life, three vehicles were reportedly stolen during the attack. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), approximately 7,455 displaced persons were already living in Lascahobas before this latest attack., while Belladère and Hinche were home to approximately 27,000 and 10,000 internally displaced persons, respectively. The rapidly deteriorating security situation in the Bas Plateau is making it more difficult to deliver humanitarian aid and mobilize response personnel. The Civil Protection Directorate, in coordination with the IOM, is currently assessing and registering the newly displaced. This attack also disrupted the education sector: the last day of official ninth-grade exams had to be canceled in the municipality.
Next is the fire set to the Oloffson Hotel in Port-au-Prince. In a statement on his social media network X, the owner of the iconic monument to Haitian heritage, Richard Auguste Morse, the iconic structure located near the Carrefour Feuilles neighborhood was completely destroyed in a fire that occurred on Saturday, July 5, 2025. The leader of the musical group, Ram, said they have taken this blow, and it hurts, while the visual artist, Barbara Prézeau-Stephenson, calls on the artistic community and all those interested in heritage protection to rise up to challenge “those who are determined to brutalize us, to zombify us, to reduce us to barbarism and cannibalism.”. On X, the Concertation pour Haiti, a group of organizations and members of Quebec civil society, said it was saddened to learn such terrible news, because the Oloffson Hotel reduced to ashes claimed a part of their memory. To Delphine Gardère, director of the Société du Rhum Barbancourt, the complicit silence, and culpable inertia leads one to question how far the destruction of our history will go. The Hotel Oloffson inspired Graham Greene to create the Hotel Trianon, the fictional setting of his novel “The Comedians,” published in 1966.
In an article on National Public Radio, NPR, the UN has confirmed that the gangs have near total control of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and the authorities are unable to stop it. According to the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Ghada Fathy Waly, an estimated 90% of the capital is now under control of criminal groups who are expanding attacks not only into surrounding areas but beyond into previously peaceful areas. The southern part of the island nation, which until recently was insulated from the violence, has seen a sharp increase in gang-related incidents, while in the east, criminal groups are exploiting land routes, including key crossings like Belladere and Malpasse, where attacks against police and customs officials have been reported. The state’s authority to govern is rapidly shrinking as gang control expands with cascading effects. Criminal groups are stepping into the vacuum left by the absence or limited delivery of public services and are establishing parallel governance structures, and gang control of major trade routes has paralyzed legal commerce, leading to soaring prices for cooking fuel and rice. The UN. Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenca told the Security Council that the ongoing gang encirclement of Port-au-Prince and their strengthened foothold in the capital and beyond is pushing the situation closer to the brink, and without increased action by the international community, the total collapse of the state presence in the capital could become a very real scenario.
Finally, the Women’s Entrepreneurship fair, Haifex 2025, took place at the
NH Haiti El Rancho Convention Center on July 5 and 6, 2025. The event which was packed with workshops and activities brought together hundreds of people, showcasing women’s entrepreneurship through the exhibition of 72 women-led companies in sectors as diverse as they were, from products to services. In addition to the exhibits, there were pitch presentations, discussion panels, workshops, and fashion shows, all of which were being choreographed in a festive and musical atmosphere hosted by DJ Kemissa and DJ NOS. On the first day, the fifteen finalists of the pitch competition brilliantly presented their startup and business projects before a jury composed of professionals in the fields of entrepreneurship, finance, and branding, with an audience eager to applaud these innovative and captivating projects. Behind these presentations lay a significant amount of preparation. Caroline Bijou, owner of Délices de Vida and a finalist in the competition, said the organizers worked with the finalists and provided them with training, which was a real plus. They learned how to talk about their work and present it clearly. Panel discussions on the second day focused on financial inclusion and women’s empowerment. It brought together economist Etzer Émile, representatives from the Ministry of Trade and Industry, UN Women, and UNDP, who all advocated for the real and sustainable inclusion of women in the Haitian economy. At the same time, Patrick Attié, director of ESIH, led a workshop on the use of artificial intelligence in designing a business plan. Christine Coupet and Grégory Morissette emphasized the importance of building a strong professional network. The highlight of the event was the presentation by Italian designer of Haitian descent, Stella Jean, who had returned to Haiti for the first time in eleven years. In an emotional speech, she shared her journey, her struggles, and her desire to remain faithful to her two cultural identities. To the youth eager for inspiration, she said they must start from the bottom. Everyone can make a difference, and no one should feel too small to change history.