At least three persons were killed in Haiti when armed men opened fire on journalists, police, and medical personnel during a news conference to announce the reopening of the country’s largest public hospital.
Many more were injured in Tuesday’s attack at the General Hospital in the capital, Port-au-Prince.Pictures shared online appear to show multiple persons injured or killed inside the building.
The site was reclaimed by Haiti’s government in July, after being overrun and devastated by vicious gangs who dominate much of the city.
The shooting began as journalists were waiting for Health Minister Lorthe Blema to arrive.
According to reports, two journalists and a police officer were fatally shot.“It felt like a terrible movie,” Dieugo André, a photojournalist who witnessed the violence, was quoted as saying by The Haitian Times.
“I have the blood of several injured journalists on my clothes.”
According to reports, members of the Viv Ansanm gang carried out the attack.In a video statement, Leslie Voltaire, the head of Haiti’s presidential transitional council, expressed compassion and promised to restore peace.
“We express our sympathy to all the victims’ families, in particularly to the Haiti National Police and all the journalists’ associations.
“We guarantee them that this act will not remain without consequences.”
Despite the establishment of a new transition government in April and the deployment of an international force commanded by Kenyan police officers six months ago, the people of Haiti continue to face atrocities from gangs.
Since President Jovenel Moïse’s killing in 2021, Haiti has experienced a surge in gang violence.An estimated 85% of Port-au-Prince remains under gang control.
According to the United Nations, up to 5,000 people have been slain in violence in Haiti this year alone and the country is now on the verge of collapse.
