A state of siege has been declared in Haiti, following the early morning assassination of the country’s President, Jovenel Moïse.

Gunmen stormed the President’s private Port-au-Prince residence, killing him and injuring his wife, First Lady Martine Moïse.

Haiti’s interim prime minister Claude Joseph has called for calm as details emerge about the circumstances of the attack, which he blamed on a “highly trained and heavily armed group.”

Wednesday’s attack comes amid intense political tension and instability in the Caribbean country, with the Opposition long calling for Moïse to resign.

Haiti is due to hold elections and a controversial constitutional referendum later this year.

The referendum had been championed by Moïse as an opportunity to strengthen the Haitian presidency.

Moïse, who was first elected President in 2017, had been ruling by decree for more than a year after the country failed to hold elections and the opposition demanded he step down in recent months.