Haitian President Jovenel Moise was shot dead by unidentified attackers in his private residence overnight in a "barbaric act", the government said on Wednesday, stirring fears of escalating turmoil in the impoverished Caribbean nation.

Moise's (above) assassination, which drew condemnation from Washington and neighbouring Latin American countries, coincided with a spate of gang violence in Port-au-Prince in recent months fueled by a growing humanitarian crisis and political unrest. The disorder has turned many districts of the capital into no-go zones.

Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph said in televised remarks after chairing a cabinet meeting that the government had declared a state of...