Haiti demo halted amid violence

It is not clear who is in control in some areas

Supporters of Haitian leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide have forced opposition groups to cancel a protest march against the president.

Barricades of flaming tyres were set up along the march's route, and gunshots were reportedly heard.

The president has been under intense pressure to resign, but has vowed to serve out his term in office.

Forty-seven people have been killed in escalating violence on the island in the past few days.

'Democracy repressed'

Pro-Aristide supporters in Port-au-Prince erected the barricades to block the march and threw stones at protesters.

In a hastily convened news conference, members of the opposition condemned the action, calling it repression of a democratic right.

"I believe Jean-Bertrand Aristide has declared war on the Haitian people," said Paul Evans, a leading member of the Democratic Convergence opposition group.

"It is unacceptable."

The opposition leaders said they were not linked to the armed rebel movement, comprising former gang members and disgruntled ex-soldiers, which is believed to be in control of about 11 towns across the country.

The moderate opposition and the rebels want the president to resign, accusing him of stealing elections in 2000 and of corruption.

Increasing concern

A United Nations team is investigating the deteriorating situation in Haiti.

The BBC's Susannah Price, at the UN in New York, says the team is examining critical areas such as health, education and food, to prepare a contingency plan in case humanitarian conditions worsen.

The UN's World Food Program said more than a quarter of a million people could go hungry in a "major humanitarian crisis" if blocked roads were not reopened.

The violence erupted in Gonaives, Haiti's fourth-largest city, last Thursday before spreading to other areas.

The US says it is alarmed by the unrest and but said it does not see "regime change" as the solution.