PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (Le Floridien) – Haiti’s fragile hopes for stability were shattered once again on Tuesday morning when heavily armed members of the ‘Viv Ansanm’ (‘Living Together’) gang coalition opened fire on journalists and police officers during the planned reopening ceremony of the country’s largest hospital. The attack claimed the lives of at least two local journalists, Markenzy Nathoux and Jimmy Jean, as well as a police officer, leaving several others injured.
The State University of Haiti Hospital, commonly known as the General Hospital, had remained closed since February after being overrun by the same gang coalition. The hospital, a vital institution in a nation already crippled by a collapsing healthcare system, symbolized a flicker of hope amid unrelenting chaos. However, that hope was extinguished in a hail of bullets.
Videos circulating on social media captured the harrowing aftermath—two lifeless bodies laid out on the fllor, their clothes stained with blood. One of the men still wore a press credential around his neck, a haunting symbol of the price paid by those seeking to document Haiti’s grim reality.
In a chilling display of brazenness, Johnson André, infamously known as “Izo,” one of the gang coalition’s most prominent leaders, took to social media to claim responsibility for the attack. In his video address, he declared that the gang had not authorized the hospital’s reopening, drawing attention to the extent of their control over life in Haiti’s capital.
In a solemn national address, Leslie Voltaire, President of Haiti’s transitional ruling council, confirmed the deaths of journalists and police officers, though he did not specify the exact number of casualties.
“I extend my deepest sympathies to the victims, the families of the journalists, and the brave members of our national police,” Voltaire said. “This Christmas Eve crime will not go unpunished.”
The government later issued a statement declaring its commitment to “responding decisively to the attack.”
The Haitian people, already reeling from the relentless violence and political instability, are left to mourn yet another tragedy during what should be a season of peace and reflection. Instead of the joyous sounds of Christmas carols, the streets of Port-au-Prince echo with gunfire and the anguished cries of those robbed of their loved ones.
The General Hospital, located across the street from Haiti’s National Palace, had been a focal point of conflict between gangs and security forces in recent months. In July, former Prime Minister Garry Conille visited the site after security forces briefly regained control. The once-bustling medical facility had been reduced to a shell of debris, shattered windows, and bullet-riddled walls—a grim testament to the prolonged siege.
Adding to the devastation, just last week, members of the ‘Viv Ansanm’ coalition set fire to the Bernard Mevs Hospital in Port-au-Prince. While no casualties were reported, large sections of the clinic were destroyed, further straining Haiti’s already fragile healthcare infrastructure.
