Gunmen open fire on journalists during hospital opening in Haiti | Crime news

Authorities in Haiti are struggling to deal with the rise of powerful armed gangs, and accountability for violence is rare.

Gunmen have opened fire on a group of journalists in Haiti who have gathered to cover the reopening of the capital's largest public hospital.

Although authorities did not provide details of the casualties in Tuesday's attack, Reuters news agency reported that two journalists and a policeman were killed, citing a journalist who witnessed the attack on condition of anonymity.

“We express our condolences to all the families of the victims, in particular to the PNH (Haiti National Police) and all journalistic associations,” Haiti's Transitional Presidential Council said in a post on social media.

“We assure them that this act will not remain without consequences.

The attack is the latest to rock Haiti, where ongoing political and economic instability has helped fuel violence armed gangs which became more powerful after the assassination of the former president Jovenel Moise in 2021

The island nation's law enforcement agencies are struggling to counter criminal gangs that have seized control of roughly 80 percent of the capital, Port-au-Prince, where widespread violence has hit civilians and devastated vital services.

One institution forced to close in March was the General Hospital, the country's largest public hospital. Journalists had gathered on Tuesday morning to cover the reopening of the facility when gunmen opened fire around 11 a.m. (1600 GMT), Reuters reported.

Government officials gathered to reopen the hospital in downtown Port-au-Prince in July, but that event also came under fire, forcing former prime minister Gary Connell to flee the scene.

Unverified video posted online on Tuesday appeared to show three journalists lying wounded on the floor of the building. A recent UN report states that only 24 percent of healthcare facilities in the Port-au-Prince area they work.

Johnson “Izo” Andre, a powerful gang leader in a coalition known as Viv Ansanm, posted a video on social media on Tuesday claiming responsibility for the attack.