Haiti: Journalists Fatally Shot, Bodies Burned While Reporting on Violence

Two Haitian journalists were killed while reporting violence in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince. Al Jazeera reported that the Haitian journalists were fatally shot and their bodies were burned Sunday while reporting on violence in the Cite Soleil neighborhood, which has suffered from gang-related violence in recent months.

The bodies of the Haitian journalists, who were identified as Tayson Latigue and Frantzsen Charles, have not been recovered yet. Latigue worked for digital publication Ti Jenn Jounalis, while Charles was a reporter for FS News Haiti.

FS News Haiti announced the death of Charles and Latigue in a statement. The news organization said the journalists were killed by bandits while reporting in Cite Soleil. FS News Haiti demanded justice for the two journalists.

2 Journalists in Haiti Killed in Port-au-Prince

Tayson Latigue and Frantzsen Charles were among seven Haitian journalists who faced an attack in Cite Soleil while investigating the growing violence in the area, including the recent killing of a 17-year-old girl.

According to The Guardian, Dieudonné St-Cyr, a Haiti's Association of Independent Journalists reporter, told radio station Metropole Haiti that two rival gangs ambushed the journalists.

St-Cyr did not name the two rival gangs allegedly involved in the incident. He added that five other reporters fled unharmed.

The journalists' organization condemned the killing and called it a "villainous and odious act." It also demanded that the government ramp up efforts to address the country's worsening insecurity amid killings and kidnappings.

The group said the journalists were just doing their job and did not commit any crime. They added that killings reflect the "inability of the state to protect lives and property."

Haiti's Prime Minister Ariel Henry also condemned the killings, adding that he was "profoundly shocked" at the deaths. Gangs have become more present since President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in July 2021.

Haiti Gang Violence

CNN reported last month that Haiti's SWAT team had been driven into a gunfight in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, against gangs. Haitian police have managed to rescue six hostages from the 400 Mawozo gangs while killing one of its leaders.

However, the gang has not been removed from the capital's streets. It has become a usual police routine for them to go into gang-plagued areas and gangs who typically respond with bullets.

According to the United Nations, 10 days of violence left Cite Soleil with more than 470 people dead, injured, or missing. The G9 gang has tried to expand its reach and has taken territory from rival gangs.

Social media footage showed several houses had been burned, with dozens of locals fleeing the area on foot at night. One Haitian security forces source said that approximately three-quarters of the city are controlled or influenced by gangs.

Director of the General Haitian National Police, Frantz Elbe, rejected the estimation but declined to give a percentage. Elbe noted that it was not a general problem in the metropolitan area.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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