PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – About ten years ago, Haiti had a devastating earthquake and has struggled to recover.
This week they had a political earthquake and no one knows how or when they will recover.
President Jovenel Moïse was gunned down in his home outside Port-Au Prince early Wednesday morning, shot to death by a group of mercenaries, most of them from Colombia.
Who paid them for the brutal murder is still unclear, but there are some ties to South Florida.
The immediate question is how does the Haitian government continue and can it continue to function with an interim Prime Minister.
Claude Joseph, who is on his way out, and another politician, Eric Henry, who had just been appointed Prime Minister by Moïse, has claimed the job, and the Senate president has said that Joseph is the provisional president.
Meanwhile, more than 11 million Haitian residents are hanging on, hoping their leaders can resolve their differences and hold things together.
Former Haitian Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe served in the role from 2012 to 2014. He was born in Haiti and earned degrees in Miami from Barry University and St. Thomas University.
He joined This Week in South Florida host Michael Putney, and their conversation can be seen at the top of this page.