Haitian Armed Gangs Attack Hospital in Port-au-Prince
Aftermath of gang attack on the Hospital of the State University of Haiti, Dec. 2024. X/ @GazetteHaiti
December 26, 2024 Hour: 10:32 am
Authorities were preparing to reopen the HUEH hospital, which had been closed since March due to insecurity in the area.
On Christmas Eve, two Haitian journalists and a police officer were killed in a new attack by members of the armed gang Vivre Ensemble against the Hospital of the State University of Haiti (HUEH), the main public healthcare center in Port-au-Prince.
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Mackendy Natoux, a reporter for the Boston Caribbean Network; Jimmy Jean, a journalist for the media outlet Moun Afè Bon TV; and police officer Daniel Renaud were the fatalities of the attack by the coalition of gangs led by former police Jimmy Cherisier, also known as “Barbecue.”
Seven other journalists were injured in the attack, four of them critically. Among the injured were Reginald Balthazar (Tanbou Verite), who suffered a chest wound; Jocelyn Justin (Chandèl Info), who sustained a tear in the lower jaw; Florise Desronvil (Realite TV), with a wound to the left buttock; and Velondy Miracle (Nouvèl 509), who was wounded in the neck.
The injured journalists are receiving care at the Hospital La Paix, one of the few public hospitals still operational in Port-au-Prince. Videos recorded by journalists before the attack have circulated on social media, along with messages urging citizens to donate blood for the victims. Interim Port-au-Prince Mayor Ralph Youri Chevry strongly condemned the HUEH tragedy today.
Gangs Claim Responsibility for the Attack
The attack was claimed by the Vivre Ensemble gang coalition in a video where the leader of the Village de Dieu gang, known as “Izo,” can be heard saying: “We’re hitting them. They came to play at the general hospital. Conviviality doesn’t give orders; actions speak.”
In another video, “Barbecue” is seen celebrating the attack. “I’m preparing a barbecue to share with my people. I celebrate with them, I fight with them. While I prepare the barbecue, come closer if you dare,” he said, before listing the coalition’s gang leaders to whom he intended to send smoked meat.
Throughout the year, Haiti has endured repeated massacres and armed attacks, resulting in several hundred deaths and forcing thousands to flee their homes and take refuge in makeshift camps where they live in inhumane conditions.
Journalists Condemn the Barbaric Attack
The Haitian Journalists Association (AJH) strongly condemned what it called the “barbaric” attack by criminal groups on the premises of the State University Hospital, a “national heritage site,” just as the Health Ministry was preparing to reopen the hospital, which had been closed since March due to insecurity in the area.
The AJH described the tragedy as a “macabre scene amounting to pure terrorism.” The association called on authorities to act swiftly and provide full assistance to the injured journalists and the families of the deceased.
“Our thoughts are with the victims and their families following the attack on the capital’s largest hospital on December 24, which caused deaths and injuries to our compatriots,” declared the Haitian government on the day of the tragedy.
teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE
