PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — The reopening of Port-au-Prince’s largest public hospital turned into a deadly scene of chaos on Tuesday, December 23, 2024 as gang violence claimed the lives of two journalists and a police officer, leaving seven other reporters injured.
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Survivors described a harrowing ordeal, with victims bleeding for over an hour before help arrived.
A Scene of Terror
The attack occurred during a ceremony to mark the reopening of the General Hospital, which had been under gang control for months.
Members of the Viv Ansanm gang coalition, which dominates much of Port-au-Prince, opened fire through the hospital’s metal gate, reportedly angered by the government’s decision to reopen the facility without their permission.
Photographer Jean Fregens Regala, one of the survivors, recounted the chaos: “Some of the journalists had part of their face destroyed, some were shot in the mouth, or the head,” Regala said.
“I was hiding behind the gate to put myself somewhere safe, but other journalists were rushing to go inside the hospital and there was non-stop shooting.”
Regala credited his survival to staying behind a concrete guardhouse near the gate.
“If I had rushed and ran, or ran inside the hospital to hide, I am sure I would be among the victims,” he said.
Delayed Aid and Criticism of Government Response
Despite being at a hospital, victims received no immediate medical care.
Regala described a desperate scene where journalists used plastic bags as makeshift gloves to assist the wounded.
The hospital lacked basic medical supplies, and no doctors or nurses were on hand to provide first aid.
Police only reached the journalists after two hours, accessing the hospital using a ladder to bypass streets controlled by gangs.
Regala emphasised the dire consequences of the delay: “These people spent more than an hour losing blood,” he said.
The Haitian Association of Journalists criticised the government for exposing reporters and the public to danger, calling for greater prudence in planning official events.
“The fact that the minister of health invited us, you feel that preparations have been made already,” Regala said, adding that police at the scene were unaware of the event.
Interim President Leslie Voltaire expressed condolences in a national address but did not address the apparent lack of preparation for the hospital reopening.
Gang Dominance and Haiti’s Health Crisis
Gang leader Johnson “Izo” André claimed responsibility for the attack in a video, stating that the hospital’s reopening was unauthorised.
His Viv Ansanm coalition controls large swaths of Port-au-Prince, where street gangs have taken over an estimated 85% of the city, including key infrastructure such as the main airport and two of the country’s largest prisons.
The violence has pushed Haiti’s healthcare system to the brink.
Gang attacks on hospitals and pharmacies have caused severe shortages of medical supplies and personnel.
General Hospital itself had been ravaged by months of gang control, with workers only beginning repairs and cleanup ahead of the reopening.
Journalists Under Fire
The attack underscores the rising dangers faced by journalists in Haiti.
The country has seen repeated violence targeting members of the press.
In 2023, radio reporter Dumesky Kersaint and journalist Ricot Jean were killed within weeks of each other.
Despite the risks, survivors like Regala remain determined to continue their work.
“The work needs to continue, to make sure the population is kept informed,” he said, brushing aside his family’s pleas to leave journalism.
