Overview:
An assault by the “Viv Ansanm” gang throughout the tried reopening of the State College Hospital of Haiti (HUEH) on Dec. 24 left a police officer and two journalists lifeless and 7 injured. The hospital, shuttered since February, was slated to renew operations underneath heightened safety.
PORT-AU-PRINCE — A Haitian Nationwide Police (PNH) officer and two journalists have been killed, and several other others have been injured, when armed gangs opened hearth throughout the tried reopening of the State College Hospital of Haiti (HUEH), which had been shuttered since February. The journalists, trapped contained in the hospital for over an hour, have been finally evacuated after reinforcements arrived.
“It felt like a horrible film,” mentioned Dieugo André, a photojournalist who witnessed the violence. André additionally contributes to The Haitian Occasions. “I’ve the blood of a number of injured journalists on my garments.”
The injured embody journalists Robens Pétion, Réginald Baltazar, Velondie Miracle, Florise Deronvil, Jean-Jack Aspèges, Jocelyn Justin, and Rosemond Vernet. PNH spokesperson Lionel Lazarre mentioned he had not obtained directions to intervene throughout the assault.
The hospital’s reopening was meant to represent progress underneath new Well being Minister Duckenson Lorthé Blema, who lately reopened the Maternity Isaïe Jeanty Hospital, generally often known as Chancerelles. The Ministry of Public Well being had appointed a brand new medical director for HUEH as a part of the hassle to revive providers.
As an alternative, the ceremony was derailed as heavy gunfire erupted close to the hospital at round 11 a.m., with gangs reportedly aiming to disrupt the occasion. Police on-site struggled to include the attackers, delaying the arrival of the well being minister.
The scene rapidly descended into chaos as journalists and officers scattered, operating for his or her lives whereas desperately trying to find shelter, based on Arnold Junior Pierre, a reporter on the scene who additionally contributes to The Haitian Occasions. Many hid underneath delivery containers or outdated, burned-out vehicles, attempting to flee the fury of the armed gangs unleashing gunfire across the hospital.
Reinforcements from the PNH and Kenyan officers with the Multinational Safety Help Mission (MSS) finally secured the realm, permitting journalists to be evacuated and the injured to be transported to a hospital in Delmas.
“The MSS is on its approach with reinforcements,” mentioned Jack Ombaka, MSS spokesperson, in a gaggle communication with journalists late within the night.
When requested by The Haitian Occasions why the MSS had not been concerned earlier, Ombaka confirmed they weren’t initially knowledgeable of the scenario.
The assault highlights the rising toll of gang violence in Haiti, the place greater than 5,000 folks have been killed this yr, together with no less than 207 victims of a December bloodbath by the Wharf Jérémie gang. The violence has left the nation’s healthcare and safety programs in disarray, compounding the day by day struggles confronted by thousands and thousands of Haitians.