Thousands in Haiti Storm CARE Depot : Protesters Carry Off Cooking Oil, Wheat as Troops, Militia Watch

Thousands of Haitians stormed the warehouse of the American aid organization CARE overnight and early today, hauling away supplies of cooking oil and wheat as troops and militiamen stood by.

The crowd converged on the warehouse, near the seafront, at nightfall after a day that saw the biggest anti-government protest ever in this northern harbor town.

Troops and militiamen were close to the building but took no action as the crowd, from slum dwellings nearby, broke into the warehouse and battled with each other over giant oil canisters and 22-pound sacks of wheat.

Diplomats who arrived from the capital, Port-au-Prince, to monitor the situation said the attack on the depot appeared to be one of the most significant developments in the fast-moving popular uprising against President-for-Life Jean Claude Duvalier.

Troops Took No Action

The fact that the troops took no action could indicate that at least some members of the armed forces are leaning toward supporting the anti-government demonstrators.

Earlier Wednesday, the protesters who surrounded the local police station clearly made a point of chanting, “Long live the army!” as well as their regular anti-Duvalier slogans.

Although troops did not fire their weapons during the demonstrations, at one point they did fire tear gas to disperse the crowds.

Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world, with the majority of people living on little more than $100 a year. Many of the thousands of protesters today told reporters that the people were tired of starving while reading about their president’s opulent life style.

Troops and militiamen were clearly under orders not to shoot as up to half the 75,000 population danced and swayed through the narrow streets, cursing Duvalier, while onlookers cheered from balconies and doorways.

Heard on Church Radio

Five people have died and 38 have been injured in anti-government protests that began earlier in the week.

Church-run radio stations also reported anti-Duvalier protests in other provincial towns, notably Les Cayes, in the south, throughout the day. Protesters there looted food warehouses run by both Protestant and Roman Catholic aid organizations.

The situation in Port-au-Prince remained quiet, but many of the city’s 1 million residents huddled around transistor radios to follow events at Cap Haitien on church-run stations.

The students who appeared to be the spearhead of the protests issued a statement to foreign reporters predicting that within three weeks Duvalier will be “president only of his palace” if not ousted altogether.

The statement called for a general strike from Feb. 12 to 20, instead of the traditional Mardi Gras carnival at that time that is the highlight of the year for Haitians.