Before Christian Emmanuel Sanon became a defendant in a federal courtroom, he was a South Florida doctor and evangelical pastor with, prosecutors allege, political ambitions to seize power in Haiti. Those ambitions allegedly took shape in 2021, when Sanon began meeting with businesspeople, security figures and former Haitian officials as part of a plan to remove democratically elected President Jovenel Moïse, according to the Miami Herald. Federal prosecutors say the effort eventually drew in about 20 former Colombian soldiers, who were recruited under the premise that they would provide security and help execute an arrest warrant.
The operation took a deadly turn in 2021 when armed men targeted Moïse’s residence in Port-au-Prince. The president was killed, plunging Haiti into another period of political uncertainty.
Sanon now faces federal charges in Miami, including conspiracy to kidnap or kill a foreign leader. The allegations against Sanon put him at the intersection of an international mercenary operation, a political crisis and one of the most consequential assassinations in Haiti’s recent history. But to understand how a South Florida doctor ended up at the epicenter of a presidential assassination, you have to look at the political collapse that set the stage for his plot.
Moïse’s Rise to Power
Moïse was a Haitian businessman and banana exporter who, with the support of former President Michel Martelly, won Haiti’s 2016 election and took office in February 2017, according to PBS. His presidency quickly became marked by political polarization, economic hardship and worsening insecurity.
By 2021, protests erupted as Moïse proposed extending his term by one year. According to Reuters, the alleged conspiracy to remove him began months before his death. In April 2021, prosecutors claim Pastor Christian Sanon met in South Florida with a former Haitian senator and American businesspeople.
RELATED: Haitian Immigrant’s Family Takes On the Feds After Her Death Was Ruled a Homicide
Sanon allegedly helped finance the operation and arranged travel and lodging for people involved in the plot. In court on Monday (Sept. 28), prosecutors say Sanon’s objective was not simply to remove Moïse, but to seize the presidency afterward, according to Reuters.
His defense acknowledges that he had political ambitions but argues that he did not know the operation would end in Moïse’s murder and that other conspirators eventually pushed him aside.
July 7, 2021: The Assassination
According to the Haitian Times, a squad including former Colombian soldiers entered Moïse’s residence on July 7, 2021.
The Colombian connection is one of the defining threads of the investigation. American prosecutors say former Colombian military personnel were recruited, turning what began as a political conspiracy into an international plot involving Haiti, Colombia and the United States, according to the Department of Justice.
Moïse’s death plunged Haiti further into political uncertainty. He had already governed amid bitter disputes over elections, his mandate and the country’s direction. Haiti has not had a president since then.
Pastor Sanon and the Miami Connection
Haitian authorities arrested suspects, but the domestic investigation repeatedly faced security and political obstacles. Haiti’s justice system struggled to protect those investigating the president’s murder, and armed groups eventually seized control of the downtown courthouse, Reuters reported.
Prosecutors claim significant parts of the conspiracy were planned and financed in South Florida. More than 40 people have now been charged in the United States in connection with the assassination, including Pastor Sanon, who previously led the Haitian Church Planting Department for the Florida Baptist Convention, according to the DOJ.
U.S. authorities charged 30 additional suspects and brought 18 people from Haitian custody to the United States, including former Haitian government official Joseph Félix Badio and 17 former Colombian soldiers, the DOJ reported. A dozen have been convicted, including five who received life sentences.
What Will Happen to Haiti?
Since 2021, armed gangs have expanded their control over Haiti. Violence has displaced more than a million people, and political institutions have struggled to function, according to reports. As the fallout from Moïse’s assassination drags on, Haitians continue to live in limbo.
The country is, however, preparing for presidential elections scheduled for December — its first presidential election in a decade, according to Anadolu Agency. Meanwhile, Sanon has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he faces life in prison.
Straight From
Sign up for our free daily newsletter.
