A heavily armed gang forcibly entered Fontaine Hospital Center in the Cite Soleil slum of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Wednesday, taking hostage hundreds of women, children, and newborns, according to the hospital's director, Jose Ulysse.

"We are in great difficulty," Ulysse said, who reached out for help via social media, confirmed the distressing incident, the NY Post noted.

The motive behind the assailants taking patients hostage remains unclear, and Ulysse did not provide further details or respond to additional inquiries.

Fontaine Hospital Centerserves as a crucial refuge in a community overwhelmed by rampant gang violence, where civilians in Cite Soleil are frequently subjected to violent attacks, including rape, beatings, and killings.

Ulysse identified the culprits as members of the Brooklyn gang led by Gabriel Jean-Pierre, also known as "Ti Gabriel," who is the leader of the formidable Haiti gang alliance G-Pep, one of two rival coalitions in Haiti.

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Brooklyn Gang

The Brooklyn gang, numbering around 200 members, controls specific areas within Cite Soleil and is involved in extortion, goods hijacking, and general violence, as outlined in a recent United Nations report.

The report highlighted the strengthening of Haiti gang alliances, such as G-Pep, through diversified revenue streams, including kidnapping for ransom.

Earlier this year, Ulysse revealed in an interview with the AP that gangs had personally targeted him twice.

Gangs across Haiti have gained increasing power since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, leading to a surge in kidnappings and killings.

In a grim parallel incident earlier this year, at least 20 armed Haiti gang members infiltrated a hospital operated by Doctors Without Borders, seizing a patient from an operating room by fabricating a life-threatening emergency.

Haiti's Fontaine Hospital Center

Fontaine Hospital Center, situated in the tumultuous Cite Soleil neighborhood, has been caught in the crossfire of a brutal turf war between the G9 and G-Pep gangs.

Financially strained, the hospital struggles to cover basic fees, afford necessary equipment, and pay its staff, per VOA News.

Despite these challenges, it remains operational and employs young people who lack alternatives to joining Haiti gangs.

The crisis has left over 100,000 Haitian children at risk of starvation, with nearly half of Haiti's population, around 4.9 million people, facing hunger, according to estimates from the United Nations.

However, due to limited funds, the UN World Food Program had to reduce its emergency food assistance to Haiti by 25% in July compared to the previous month.

Similarly, UNICEF reported receiving only 15% of the necessary funds for its operations in Haiti by June.

Kareen Ulysse, the hospital director, expressed doubts about Fontaine's ability to sustain operations for another year without additional UNICEF funding.

Haiti's government sought international security assistance last year, with the UN expressing support for a security force.

However, reluctance to intervene in a country with an unelected caretaker government and a history of foreign intervention has hindered progress until Kenya committed to leading such efforts last month.

In the interim, Fontaine Hospital Center perseveres, doing what it can to provide essential services amid challenging circumstances.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: News Wrap: Armed gang in Haiti takes hundreds hostage at hospital - From PBS NewsHour