Armed individuals set fire overnight to a building in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, that had long housed the nation's oldest radio station, which now stands abandoned due to gang activity in the area. The attack, reportedly carried out by a growing alliance of gangs, resulted in a charred multi-story building in downtown Port-au-Prince, as depicted in videos shared on social media.
Frantz Duval, the editor-in-chief of Le Nouvelliste, Haiti's oldest newspaper, condemned the arson in a post on X, drawing parallels to a previous attack that had damaged the 126-year-old paper's offices and printing press last year. Duval expressed concern about the loss of valuable institutional history, stating, "It is our history we are losing," during an interview on local radio.
Artur Romeu, the Latin America office director of Reporters Without Borders, referred to the attack on the 76-year-old radio station as an endeavor to intimidate media workers and silence a significant outlet. Highlighting the precarious conditions under which Haitian journalists operate, Romeu stated, "This attack highlights the extreme precarity in which Haitian journalists work, risking their lives to report the news."
Following recent violent incidents, including the killing of two journalists at an event in downtown Port-au-Prince, the Haitian government expressed its commitment to punishing such attacks. Amid ongoing struggles to control the growing influence of well-armed gangs in the capital, the government assured that enhanced security measures would be implemented to safeguard targeted media outlets and protect the population.
The prevailing violence has forced over 42,000 individuals to flee their homes between mid-February and early March alone, contributing to a significant rise in internal displacement due to the escalating conflict in the region. The situation remains tense, with rumors circulating about the fate of gang leader Jimmy Cherizier, also known as "Barbecue," following reported government drone attacks on gang strongholds.