Haiti food convoy attacked; UN warns of volatility

The attack on the convoy as it carried supplies from an airport in the southern town of Jeremie underscored what the United Nations calls a "potentially volatile" security situation as frustration has grown at the slow pace of aid since the Jan. 12 earthquake.

Most quake victims are still living outside in squalid tents of sheets and sticks and aid officials acknowedge they have not yet gotten food to the majority of those in need. Mobs have stolen food and looted goods from their neighbors in the camps, prompting many to band together or stay awake at night to prevent raids.

About 20 armed men blockaded a street Saturday and attacked a convoy carrying food from the airport in Jeremie, according to UN spokesman Vicenzo Pugliese. UN and Haitian officers fired warning gunshots and the men fled the scene, Pugliese said. No injuries were reported and no one was hurt.

Haitian police have increased their own patrols and are accompanying UN police guarding aid distribution.

"The overall security situation across the country remains stable but potentially volatile," the UN mission said in a statement Tuesday.

In Jacmel, also a southern city, 33 escaped prisoners were apprehended Sunday, the UN said.

While Haitians are still mourning friends and relatives, many still unburied, anger at the government's sluggish response to the quake is feeding political resentment.

Hundreds gathered Monday at a gravel pit in Titanyen where countless earthquake victims have been dumped, turning a remembrance ceremony for the dead into one of the first organized political rallies since the disaster; Kazinform cites the Arab News.

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