Bloodshed at Port-au-Prince Hospital: A Grim Day for Haiti

In a shocking attack in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, armed men targeted journalists, police, and medical staff, resulting in the deaths of two journalists and a police officer. The Viv Ansanm gang claimed responsibility for the violence, underscoring the perilous security situation in the country.

 

At least three people were killed in a terrifying incident in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, when armed assailants opened fire during a press briefing meant to announce the reopening of the nation's largest public hospital. The attack, attributed to the Viv Ansanm gang alliance—responsible for controlling substantial areas of the city—on Tuesday morning, claimed the lives of two journalists and one police officer while leaving others injured.

The general hospital had recently been recaptured by the Haitian government after being occupied and vandalized by gangs in March. During the attack, journalists were gathered, awaiting the Health Minister Lorthe Blema's arrival, when chaos erupted. According to Robest Dimanche, spokesman for the Online Media Collective, the slain journalists were Markenzy Nathoux and Jimmy Jean. Eyewitness Dieugo André, a photojournalist present during the act of violence, articulated the horror of the day, saying, "It felt like a terrible movie. I have the blood of several injured journalists on my clothes."

In an alarming twist, the Viv Ansanm gang claimed responsibility for the attack, asserting it had not sanctioned the hospital's reopening. In a show of solidarity, Leslie Voltaire, head of Haiti's presidential transitional council, expressed condolences to the victims' families, particularly underscoring support for the Haiti National Police and journalists' associations, while vowing that the attack would have consequences.

Haiti's citizens are living under the shadow of rampant gang violence, which has persisted despite the establishment of a new transition government in April and the deployment of an international force led by Kenyan police earlier this year. Since the assassination of former President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, the situation has deteriorated, with reports indicating that over 85% of Port-au-Prince remains under gang influence. The United Nations has grimly reported that approximately 5,000 deaths have occurred this year alone as Haiti teeters on the brink of total collapse.