Death Toll in Haitian Political Unrest Rises

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti —  Protesters demanding the return of ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide hurled stones and fired shots in the air Saturday as the death toll from a surge of political violence in the Haitian capital rose to 14.

At least five men were killed Friday by gunmen outside the home of an anti-Aristide community leader in the seaside slum Village de Dieu, residents said Saturday.

Police fired on a peaceful demonstration by Aristide supporters in the capital’s neighborhood of Bel Air on Friday, killing two young men, said Anne Sosin, a human rights monitor with the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti.

Radio Metropole reported that one civilian was shot dead in a pro-Aristide demonstration Friday, and Justice Minister Bernard Gousse said police had killed two gang leaders Thursday in fighting in Cite Soleil, a seaside slum teeming with Aristide loyalists.