Following the death of President Jovenel Moise by foreign mercenaries, Haiti has asked assistance from US and UN security troops to secure important infrastructures such as the airport and ports, according to a government minister.

Moise's death by a group of gunmen at his residence in Port-au-Prince in the early hours of Wednesday morning pushed Haiti deeper into a political crisis that might exacerbate mounting hunger, gang violence, and a COVID-19 epidemic.

A request for US security assistance was discussed in a call between Haiti's interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday, according to Elections Minister Mathias Pierre. Haiti also requested forces from the United Nations Security Council on Thursday, according to Pierre.

“We were in a situation where we believed that infrastructure of the country—the port, airport and energy infrastructure—might be a target,” the minister told Reuters.

Another goal of the request for security reinforcements, according to Pierre, is to let the presidential and legislative elections set for Sept. 26 to take place.