Hundreds Riot in Haiti After Militia Kills 3 During Protest

Hundreds of protesters went on a rampage in the southern city of Les Cayes on Tuesday, the day after security forces killed three people during unrest in Cap Haitien, a church-run radio station reported.

In Les Cayes, demonstrators shouted slogans against President Jean-Claude Duvalier and entered schools, an orphanage and a health center to take food, medicine, mattresses and other supplies, the Baptist-run Radio Lumiere said.

The city of 38,000, like many in Haiti, suffers from high unemployment and lack of services.

In Cap Haitien, 160 miles north of the capital of Port-au-Prince, officials at Justinien Hospital said three people were shot to death Monday and about 20 wounded by security forces on the second day of protests.

Members of the Volunteers for National Security, a militia force better known as the Tonton Macoute, chased demonstrators and entered homes, beating people with batons and rifle butts, Catholic-run Radio Soleil said.

Roman Catholic Bishop Francois Gayot said the dead included a 13-year-old boy who suffered gunshot wounds to his kidneys. He said a 15-year-old, shot while sitting on the bishop’s terrace, was among the wounded.

It was unclear how the protests began, but the pro-government Le Matin newspaper said crowds set fire to two gas stations in Cap Haitien on Monday, and stores and banks were closed in a general strike.

Hospital officials said the city appeared calm Tuesday, but they feared the death toll could rise as more people died of their injuries.

Also on Tuesday, the U.S. State Department advised Americans not to travel to Cap Haitien and to consult the U.S. Embassy before traveling to other Haitian cities.