Massacre at Port-au-Prince hospital: two journalists killed by "5 segond" gang
On 24 December 2024, armed men attacked the university hospital in Port-au-Prince, killing two journalists. Forbidden Stories investigates this attack filmed by drone.
"5 segond" gang attack on Haitian press during inauguration ceremony
On 24 December 2024, at around 11:20 a.m., armed civilians opened fire on the grounds of the General Hospital of Port-au-Prince at the moment when Haitian health minister Duckenson Lorthe Blema was to inaugurate the facility after ten months of closure. Two journalists and one police officer were killed; seven reporters were wounded. Forbidden Stories, which conducted an investigation on the ground in March 2025 with its Haitian partner AyiboPost, publishes a detailed account of this attack, the deadliest against journalists in the country's recent history.
Around thirty journalists and healthcare staff members were waiting for the minister at the entrance of the medical centre when gunfire broke out. Bullets riddled the hospital's gate and walls for nearly two hours. The ministerial convoy came to a standstill at the level of the National Palace, never reaching its destination. Survivors were finally able to flee by using a ladder on the side of the building, after hours of terror.
Whisly Desir, a journalist present that day, gave testimony to Forbidden Stories. Red cap, cross-shaped pendant, he scrolls through videos of the attack on his phone. "God kept me alive," he says. Traumatised, he joined a support group in the hope of one day being able to "forget" what he had witnessed.
Izo claims responsibility for the attack via drone
The assault was commissioned and filmed by Izo, one of the most powerful gang leaders in Port-au-Prince, whose stronghold—"Village of God"—is located less than two kilometres from the hospital. In a video captured by drone and broadcast on social media, his voice claims responsibility for the attack. "They came to the general hospital to put on a show, we set traps for them," he comments. The gang he leads is called "5 segond".
Izo is not yet thirty years old. On TikTok, he shows himself in his swimming pool branded with his name, poses in a Versace t-shirt with a bottle of alcohol in his hand, or appears in the uniform of the special unit he created—bullet-proof vest, skull-shaped mask—under the sign "UVD", for "Village of God Unit". The use of drones for military and propaganda purposes constitutes, according to Forbidden Stories, one of the emerging characteristics of the arsenal of Haitian armed groups.
Journalists, declared targets of gangs
The 24 December attack is part of a systematic escalation against the Haitian press. In October 2024, gang leader Jimmy Chérizier, known as "Barbecue", declared during a TikTok live stream: "Consider journalists as enemies, liable to the death penalty if they oppose us." In the same intervention, he called for the kidnapping of four renowned journalists.
In Port-au-Prince, reporters who document daily gang advancement in the city are particularly exposed. In March 2025, three radio stations in the capital were attacked and set on fire. On 19 March 2025, ten journalists covering a protest against insecurity in the Canapé Vert neighbourhood were beaten by residents convinced that the press serves the interests of armed groups. This neighbourhood is the driving force of the self-defence movement "Bwa Kalé".
Furthermore, Jean-Christophe Collègue, a former correspondent for Voice of America (VOA), has been missing since gangs extended their territory to the city of Mirebalais, north of Port-au-Prince.
Calls for international protection
After the violence on 19 March, the Haitian Collective of Online Media (CMEL) recalled that "the press is not the enemy, but an ally in the quest for truth and justice". In April 2025, Reporters Without Borders called on the international community "to act without delay to protect journalists facing insecurity and the climate of terror reigning in Haiti".
Forbidden Stories, whose mission is to investigate crimes committed against journalists around the world and to continue their work, travelled to Port-au-Prince in March 2025. This article constitutes the second instalment of a series devoted to the murders of journalists in Haiti and their predators.
Source: Google News HT — Port-au-Prince