5 burnt bodies found in Haiti
2005-06-01 22:08
Port-Au-Prince - Five bodies were found on Wednesday in a Port-au-Prince market that was burned down by armed attackers who have heightened tensions in Haiti, said police.
Haiti had been hit by a new wave of violence as the United Nations struggled to agree to a new long-term mandate for its 7 400-strong peacekeeping force.
The market in the capital was attacked on Tuesday by group said to be followers of former president Jean Bertrand Aristide.
The bodies had been burned while two other men were shot dead. The spokesperson said four other police who were in a nearby police station were wounded.
The market was close to the Cite Soleil, shantytown of 300 000 people, a stronghold of Aristide who resigned as president and fled in the face of a popular uprising in February 2004.
Deterioration in security
Human rights groups said other pro-Aristide groups were calling for him to return to the country, where more than 620 people had been killed in unrest in the past seven months.
Amidst a general deterioration in security, gangs seeking ransoms kidnapped a bank manager and two bank employees.
Also on Tuesday, the French honorary consul in the northern city of Cap-Haitien, Paul Henri Mourral, was shot dead as he drove near Port-au-Prince Airport.
The French embassy warned the 2 000 French nationals in the country to take measures to bolster their safety.
The French foreign ministry condemned the murder and called for closer co-operation between the Haitian police and the United Nations peacekeeping mission.
The UN Security Council on Tuesday renewed the mandate of the peacekeeping mission to Haiti for 24 days, while it carried out talks on longer-term mandate.
'Haiti recognises its rival, Taiwan'
The stop-gap extension would give time for the United States to obtain congressional approval for funding, while enabling the 15 security council members to resolve differences about the mission.
Most members wanted a one-year extension, but China was holding out for six months because Haiti recognises its rival, Taiwan.
However, diplomats said it was unlikely that China, which held a veto on the council, would scuttle the mission on the eve of Haiti's elections.
Aristide, who had been living in exile in South Africa for almost a year, recently said he was barred by the constitution from seeking a third term and would not run in the presidential election scheduled for later this year.
Aristide bowed to pressure from the US, France and Canada to leave Haiti.
UN forces had stepped up operations in Aristide strongholds in recent months and UN representative Juan Gabriel Valdes said the peacekeeping mission had helped maintain stability for the interim government.