Latest news Two journalists and a policeman killed in attack in Haiti
In Haiti, two journalists and a policeman have been shot dead by members of criminal gangs during the reopening of a large hospital. A policeman was also killed, the deputy police spokesman confirmed to the AFP news agency.
25.12.2024, 02:54
SDA
The journalists Markenzy Nathoux and Jimmy Jean were killed on Tuesday "during an attack by bandits from the 'Viv Ansanm' coalition" at the HUEH university hospital in Port-au-Prince, a spokesman for the online media collective Cmel told AFP.
Other journalists had been injured and were being treated in another hospital in Delmas in the greater Port-au-Prince area, the Cmel spokesman added. The President of the Transitional Council in Haiti, Leslie Voltaire, called the incident "unacceptable".
According to initial findings, gang members opened fire to prevent the opening ceremony of the clinic. Numerous journalists were present to cover the event. The hospital had remained closed since February, having previously been attacked by members of the Viv Ansamn gang.
Just last week, Viv Ansamn set fire to another hospital in Port-au-Prince. There were no casualties, but a large part of the facility was destroyed.
Gangs control Port-au-Prince
Criminal gangs now control 80 percent of the capital Port-au-Prince. They are held responsible for murders, rapes and kidnappings. More than 700,000 people, half of them children, have already fled their homes or apartments out of fear of the violence.
Even a multinational police mission supported by the UN and the USA and led by Kenya has so far been unable to contain the violence in the country. As recently as the beginning of December, almost 200 people were killed in an attack against "voodoo practitioners" led by a powerful gang leader, according to the UN and a local non-governmental organization.
Haiti has been in a serious crisis for years, with political instability and economic hardship contributing to the gang violence.
