At least three people, including two journalists and a police officer, were killed on Tuesday when armed men attacked Haiti’s largest public hospital during a media briefing to announce its reopening.
The general hospital in Port-au-Prince, the nation’s capital, had been recaptured by government forces in July after being occupied and destroyed by gangs earlier this year.
The Viv Ansanm gang alliance, which controls large portions of the city, claimed responsibility for the attack, stating they had not authorized the reopening of the facility.
The victims included journalists Markenzy Nathoux and Jimmy Jean, according to Robest Dimanche, spokesperson for the Online Media Collective. Several other journalists were injured in the attack.
A police officer was also killed, police spokesperson Lionel Lazarre confirmed to AFP.
“It felt like a terrible movie,” said Dieugo André, a photojournalist who witnessed the violence. “I have the blood of several injured journalists on my clothes.”
Photographs and videos shared online show several people injured or killed inside the hospital building.
Journalists had gathered to await the arrival of Health Minister Lorthe Blema when the shooting began. The attackers targeted police, journalists, and hospital staff indiscriminately.
In a video released online, the Viv Ansanm gang alliance said the reopening of the hospital was unauthorized, a claim tied to their ongoing control over much of Port-au-Prince.
Leslie Voltaire, head of Haiti’s presidential transitional council, expressed condolences to the victims’ families and vowed consequences for those responsible.
“We guarantee them that this act will not remain without consequences,” Voltaire said, addressing the families of the victims, the Haiti National Police, and journalist associations.
Despite the establishment of a transitional government in April and the deployment of an international force led by Kenyan police six months ago, gang violence continues to devastate Haiti.
Approximately 85% of Port-au-Prince remains under gang control, with widespread violence leaving the country on the brink of collapse.
The United Nations estimates that as many as 5,000 people have been killed in gang-related violence in Haiti this year alone, underscoring the deepening crisis since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.
