Haiti’s Prime Minister narrowly escaped harm on Monday after gangs opened fire near a hospital he was visiting, a government source told AFP. The incident occurred as Haiti struggles to restore stability following months of gang-related violence.
Prime Minister Garry Conille, who assumed office in June, was leaving the hospital in a gang-controlled area of Port-au-Prince when gunmen began firing automatic weapons, according to an anonymous official. Conille, escorted by Haitian police and members of a UN-backed Kenyan security force, was able to flee unharmed.
Video footage showed several police officers running for cover as shots were fired. There have been no announcements regarding any injuries.
The hospital had been under gang control from late February until early July when a police operation reclaimed it. Criminal groups control approximately 80 percent of Port-au-Prince, with residents facing threats of murder, rape, and kidnapping for ransom.
Hundreds of police officers from Kenya have been deployed in Haiti’s capital as part of an international effort to bring stability to the country, which has been plagued by political, social, and economic chaos. Conille has vowed to restore state authority, coming to office as part of an interim government formed after the resignation of his unpopular and unelected predecessor, Ariel Henry.
