MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Petro apologizes for murder of Haitian President Moïse

18 former Colombian troops are awaiting trial in Haiti while 3 others were gunned down

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has apologized to Haiti for the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse committed by 18 mercenaries from his country who are awaiting trial on the Caribbean island.

“Today I asked forgiveness to Haiti for the assassination of its president committed by Colombian mercenaries,” wrote Petro on Twitter as the South American country's first ever leftwing administration takes a new stance regarding the issue.

According to Haitian police, 18 retired Colombian soldiers were captured after Moïse's assassination on July 7, 2021, and 3 others were killed.

According to investigations, the assassination was committed by a commando of 26 Colombian mercenaries who broke into the presidential residence at dawn, without encountering any resistance from the security forces guarding the mansion in Port-au-Prince.

In August last year, the Colombian Ombudsman's Office denounced that the 18 ex-military personnel were incommunicado, and handcuffed in jail since their arrest and insisted that they be provided with legal assistance because their fundamental rights were being denied.

Meanwhile, Petro, who is currently in New York attending the 77th United Nations General Assembly, has announced he will be present next Monday when they reopen the border bridges Bolivar and Santander as full diplomatic ties are resumed with Venezuela. It is yet to be determined whether Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro will be attending.

The Simón Bolívar and Francisco de Paula Santander international bridges will be open for cargo transportation as of September 26, when they will be reopened to the passage of vehicles on the border between Colombia and Venezuela, it was announced Wednesday.

“The act of reopening of the border will be at 10 a.m. next Monday, at which time the passage of cargo will begin. It was defined that this will pass through the Simón Bolívar and Francisco de Paula Santander international bridges,” according to a statement.

The Simón Bolívar bridge connects the town of Villa del Rosario, in the metropolitan area of Cúcuta (Colombia), with San Antonio del Táchira (Venezuela), while the Francisco de Paula Santander bridge links Cúcuta with Ureña (Venezuela).