Security forces inspect the site after an attack at the residence of Haiti's president Jovenel Moise in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on Wednesday. Photo: VCG

The assassination of Haitian president Jovenel Moise in his residence in Port-au-Prince overnight on Wednesday has drawn widespread condemnation and sparked concern about further instability in the Caribbean nation.

In a statement on Wednesday, Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph confirmed that Moise, 53, who had been the country's president since 2017, had been assassinated by a group of armed men in the early hours of the morning and declared a "state of siege."

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned "in the strongest terms" the assassination, while calling on all Haitians to preserve the constitutional order, remain united in the face of this abhorrent act and reject all violence.

"We strongly condemn the horrible assassination of the president of Haiti ... We express our condolences to his loved ones and our unconditional solidarity with the fraternal people of Haiti," Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza posted on his Twitter account, calling for "peace and understanding" in Haiti. Chilean President Sebastian Pinera also denounced the act. "We reject the cowardly assassination of the president of Haiti ... Our solidarity and condolences to his family and all the people of Haiti."

The Chilean president also called for "unity and peace," and urged the country to "find a way out of the serious crisis."

"No political situation justifies criminal acts of violence," Costa Rican President Carlos Alvarado said. "Solidarity with his family and the Haitian people. May stability, institutionalism and dialogue prevail."

The government of Uruguay expressed its "most energetic repudiation" and "condemnation" of the attack. "This assassination must not go unpunished," it said in a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry.

"We the people and government of Mexico pay tribute to him (Moise)," Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said, recalling that the Haitian president attended the inauguration ceremony "when I assumed the presidency of Mexico."

Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez said on his Twitter account, "We strongly condemn the assassination of Haitian president Jovenel Moise, our solidarity is with his family and the Haitian people for such a despicable act. We call for peace and respect for democracy."

Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso condemned the shooting of the Haitian president, saying the act was "an inhumane, cowardly and barbaric act ..." Also making a call for peace, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel condemned the events in Haiti on his Twitter account. "We deeply regret the death of the president of the Republic of Haiti Jovenel Moise. We strongly condemn the violent act that caused his death," he said.