Haiti interim Prime Minister Garry Conille was forced to leave a hospital in Port-au-Prince under heavy fire after an interview with CNN on Monday July 29.
CNN was interviewing Conille at Haiti’s largest hospital, which has been damaged by gangs, when loud gunfire was heard in the neighborhood. Head of the national police, Normil Rameu, and several journalists were present during this tense moment.
Initially, Conille continued with the interview and did not comment on the gunfire.
A statement later said that the prime minister had just finished recording the interview when they heard the shots. Amid the tensed environment, the security agents fired a few shots as the interim Prime Minister left the hospital.
“The PM and his team left the hospital in complete safety and were escorted back to his office,” the statement read.
After the interview, officials and the CNN team were quickly driven away in cars, with more gun shots renting the air as they drove to the main road.
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According to a statement from the Haitian National Police and the Multinational Security Support (MSS), those last shots were fired by troops to providing cover for the prime minister as he left.
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Further actions were taken by the national police and MSS force, who investigated where the shots had come from and worked to calm the area. In addition, no one was injured, and the prime minister was safely returned to his office.
The interview took place at the city’s damaged General Hospital, once a key public health facility, that had been taken back from gang control in early summer by the Haitian National Police and then again by the joint HNP/MSS forces.
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Although still in ruins, the hospital represents an early sign of the state regaining control in a country where gangs dominate a huge chunk of the land. In addition, the area around the hospital remains dangerous and largely abandoned.
Haiti continues to struggle with serious gang violence and political unrest, which escalated sharply in February. This crisis has led to gangs attacking critical infrastructure, including the capital’s international airport and seaport, disrupting vital supply lines for food and aid.
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