Wed Dec 25 00:41:00 UTC 2024: ## Haiti Hospital Press Conference Attack Leaves Three Dead
**Port-au-Prince, Haiti –** At least three people, including two reporters and a police officer, were killed and several others injured on Tuesday in a shooting at a press conference in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The attack targeted journalists gathered at the General Hospital, the country’s largest public hospital, to announce its reopening after months of closure due to gang violence.
Witnesses reported armed men opening fire on the assembled journalists around 11 a.m. local time, while they awaited the arrival of the new Health Minister, Duckenson Lorthe Blema. Video footage from the scene shows journalists taking cover as bullets flew, with some suffering visible injuries.
The attack, which occurred in the downtown area near Champ de Mars square, a frequent site of gang violence, highlights the escalating power of armed gangs in Haiti. These gangs control an estimated 80-90% of the capital and have previously targeted hospitals to exert their influence, forcing many to shut down. The General Hospital itself has been closed since March due to gang activity, with a previous attempt to reopen the facility in July also ending in gunfire.
Leslie Voltaire, head of Haiti’s transitional presidential council, condemned the attack as “unacceptable.” While a Kenyan-led international mission has been authorized to address the security crisis, its deployment has been slow, and requests for the mission to be strengthened into a peacekeeping force have been met with resistance at the UN Security Council. A spokesperson for the mission stated that its personnel were not invited to the press conference, but reinforcements have been sent to the area. The Haitian National Police have yet to release a statement. The incident underscores the precarious security situation in Haiti and the ongoing struggle to restore order in the capital.
First Piper 