US 'alarmed' over Haiti unrest

Pro-government militia have been accused of 'punishment killings'

The US says it is alarmed by violent unrest in Haiti and has called for human rights to be respected.

The warning follows a week of unrest, after opponents of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide wrested control of the northern port town of Gonaives.

Since then, police and Aristide loyalists have been battling to regain control of about 11 towns.

Three people have reportedly died in Saint Marc, as pro-Aristide militia "mopped up" remaining rebel-held areas.

Haitian police say they have retaken three cities, but observers say it is unclear who is actually in control.

The Dominican Republic, Haiti's only land neighbour, says it has stepped up security along the border in response to the violence.

Forty-five people are thought to have died in the last week, in unrest related to flawed elections in 2000 and fuelled by a worsening economic situation.

'Extremely concerned'

"We are extremely concerned about the wave of violence sweeping through Haiti, and we certainly deeply regret the loss of life," White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters.

We will find ways to get rid of the terrorists Haitian Prime Minister Yvon Neptune

"We call on the government to respect the rights, especially the human rights of the citizens and residents of Haiti."

He said Washington supported a diplomatic mediation efforts, fronted by the Caribbean regional grouping Caricom.

Earlier, Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said the sending of troops was not being considered.

Washington has also drawn a distinction between the rebels battling for control of Haitian towns and the political opposition, which it said has used peaceful means of protest.

The Haitian authorities say they have reclaimed three towns - Saint Marc, Grand Goave, and Dondon.

Retribution

But the news agency Reuters quoted eyewitnesses as saying pro-Aristide militia had shot dead three people in Saint Marc on Wednesday in an operation to wipe out remaining pockets of resistance.

One member of the pro-government militia said 20 houses belonging to government supporters had been burned down when rebels took the city, suggesting an element of retribution in the killings.

Local radio reported that two opposition leaders had been shot and up to a dozen houses torched in Dondon.

Government loyalists have also vowed to halt the rebel advance in Haiti's second city, Cap-Haitien.

Loyalist militia attacked the homes of political opponents, ordered local radio stations off the air and erected blazing barricades in the streets to halt any advance by armed rebels, local media reported.

Opposition groups are calling for the president's resignation, saying he stole the 2000 election which returned him to power.

They also accuse him of corruption and human rights violations.

But Prime Minister Yvon Neptune dismissed any suggestion that Mr Aristide should stand down, insisting that he had been democratically elected.

'Terrorism'

Speaking to Reuters news agency, Mr Neptune said the 5,000-strong police force could not restore order alone, but he was confident the police would get support from the populace.

Haiti's army was disbanded after Mr Aristide was returned to power in 1994 by a US-led invasion, having been ousted in a coup.

"The mission of the police force is not to declare war, or to go to war," Mr Neptune said.

"But what we know is that - with the help of the population which is opposed to terrorism, the national police force and the government - we will find ways to get rid of the terrorists."