PORT-AU-PRINCE: Haitian President Jovenal Moise has been shot dead by unidentified attackers in his residence overnight in what has been dubbed as an “inhuman and barbaric act”, according to Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph.

Moise’s wife was injured and was receiving medical care, Joseph said, according to Reuters.

The attack occurred amid a rising wave of politically linked violence in the impoverished Caribbean nation, Reuters said.

“All measures are being taken to guarantee the continuity of the state and to protect the nation,” Joseph said.

Gunshots could be heard throughout the capital, the report said.

Port-au-Prince had been suffering an increase in violence as gangs battle one another and police for control of the streets.

(With inputs from Reuters)