PORT-AU-PRINCE: Haiti’s prime minister escaped unharmed Monday following gangs opened fire near a hospital he was visiting, western media reported, as the troubled country seeks to restore stability after months of violence.
Garry Conille, who came to office in June, was leaving the establishment in a gang-dominated area of Port-au-Prince when armed men began firing automatic arms, the official told AFP on the condition of anonymity.
Conille, escorted by members of a UN-backed Kenyan security force and Haitian police, was able to flee the area unharmed.
Footage showed various police officials running to take cover as shots rang out, however, no details have been provided regarding casualties. The hospital compound was under gang control from the end of February until early July, when a police offensive succeeded in taking it back.
Criminal gangs’ control around 80 percent of Port-au-Prince, with locals saying they have faced the threat of rape, murder, and kidnapping for ransom. Hundreds of police personnel from Kenya have been deployed in Haiti’s capital, part of a global effort to bring stability to a country riven by political and economic chaos.
Conille has pledged to restore the authority of the state at any cost. He came to office as part of an interim government that was set up after the resignation of his unelected predecessor, Ariel Henry.
