A shooting provoked by gangs occurred Tuesday, December 24 during the reopening ceremony of the main hospital in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, killing two journalists and a police officer, also leaving several injured, according to a witness and witnesses. local media.
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Gang members opened fire during the reopening of the hospital in the city center of the capital, in an area of very high insecurity where gangs rule the roost. State University HospitalHaiti (HUEH), also known as General Hospital, had been closed since February 29, after being attacked by members of the “Viv ansanm” (“living together”) coalition gangs.
“ Two journalists and a police officer were killed Tuesday (December 24) in a gang-provoked shooting while covering the reopening of a hospital in downtown Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital. », a media collective told AFP.
“ Markenzy Nathoux and Jimmy Jean were killed this Tuesday, December 24 during the attack by bandits from the +Viv ansanm+ (Living Together) coalition at the time of the reopening of the HUEH hospital (University Hospital of State of Haiti) “, the Online Media Collective (Cmel) told AFP, adding that other journalists are injured and are being treated in another public hospital. It’s total panic in the city center », indicated on X Gazette Haiti broadcasting photos of injured people on the ground in the hospital.
“ Bandits are currently attacking the General Hospital. According to initial reports, several journalists were hit by gunfire », also reported on X Radio Télé Galaxie.
The “Viv ansanm” gang coalition set fires last week the private establishment Bernard Mevsanother important hospital center in Port-au-Prince, destroying a large part of the hospital, but without causing any casualties.
Also readHaiti: armed gangs set fire to the referral hospital in Port-au-Prince
Gang violence continues
The December 24 attack comes against a backdrop of growing insecurity in Port-au-Prince, where gang attacks have taken place in several neighborhoods for more than a month. In early December, at least 207 people were killed during abuses ordered by a powerful gang leader against practitioners of the voodoo cult, according to the UN.
The arrival this summer of a multinational mission support for the Haitian police, led by Kenya and supported by the UN and the United States, has not made it possible to reduce the abuses of armed groups, accused of numerous murders, rapes, looting and kidnappings for ransom. The latter also attack important buildings and notably caused the closure of the capital’s airport to commercial traffic in November.
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