Rebels warn of imminent attack on Haiti capital

A crowd of men gather in the middle of a street in an area north of downtown Port-au-Prince in the late Thursday afternoon. Fearing imminent attack, gangs loyal to the Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide searched cars and their occupants around Port-au-Prince at makeshift barricades of trucks, shipping containers, abandoned household appliances and burning tires.. PHOTO: AFP

Rebel boss Guy Philippe, leading a band of ex-soldiers and gang members against the priest-turned-politician, said his men had surrounded Port-au-Prince, and were awaiting orders to move on the city.

"Everyone is killing innocent people so we cannot stand by and watch Aristide do this. So that is why we gave orders to surround Port-au-Prince," Philippe told Reuters in the rebel stronghold in Cap Haitien, Haiti's second-largest city.

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"Our guys are there and waiting for orders to attack," said Philippe, a former police chief who said he wants to be in Port-au-Prince by Sunday to celebrate his 36th birthday.

Aristide has repeatedly vowed to remain in office until his term ends in 2006, setting the stage for a showdown between the motley band of armed rebels and the president, his supporters and ill-trained, 4,000-member national police force.

Secretary of State Colin Powell urged Aristide to "examine" whether he could effectively rule, the first time the United States had questioned his ability to remain in charge.

"I think, as a number of people have commented, whether or not he is able to effectively continue as president is something he will have to examine," said Powell. "I hope he will examine it carefully considering the interests of the Haitian people."

More than 60 people have died in the Caribbean country in clashes that began on Feb. 5 when the rebels overran the western city of Gonaives. Aristide dissolved Haiti's army, and police have done little to resist rebel attacks.

The UN Security Council declared its readiness to approve an international force to restore order in Haiti, but only if the government and opposition first reach an agreement on sharing power and ending the violence.

President Bush has also said the deteriorating situation in Haiti may require an international security presence, once a political deal is reached.