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Haiti's poorest languish in riots' wake By MARK BIXLER The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 03/04/04 Even as U.S. Marines stabilized a tense Haitian capital and a rebel leader said he would lay down his weapons, concerns grew Thursday about worsening humanitarian conditions in the hemisphere's poorest country.
Rodrigo Abd/AP (ENLARGE)
Supporters of former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide protest as U.S. Marines patrol the streets of Port-au-Prince on Thursday. Outlying areas have been virtually cut off from aid.
Jean Shifrin/AJC (ENLARGE)
Cecily Bryant says CARE plans to venture to areas where clean water is scarce.
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The upheaval that forced out Haiti's president also sickened children, disrupted medical care and increased food prices beyond the reach of people already mired in poverty. In some cities, it dried spigots and spoiled vaccines, said Cecily Bryant, assistant director in Haiti for CARE, the international relief organization with U.S. headquarters in Atlanta. Bryant, in Atlanta to meet with CARE officials, said some of the organization's 480 employees in Haiti plan to travel soon to rural parts of the Caribbean island nation to better learn how the rebellion affected people, including many who had no part in the uprising. "We're not talking about people who have a lot to fall back on. They were already living on the edge," she said. "Without a doubt, it's gotten worse." One reason is the closure of a road connecting Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital, with Gonaives, where the rebellion began. Since fuel trucks could not travel to Gonaives, gas tanks went empty in generators, which in turn affected power at water treatment plants and hospitals, Bryant said. Thousands of people turned to other sources of water, and some children developed diarrhea after drinking contaminated water, she said. After the lights went out at hospitals, refrigerators warmed to room temperature, spoiling much-needed vaccines. Looters also stripped hospitals in Port-au-Prince and Gonaives. The uprising that began in Gonaives last month spread quickly, fueled by accusations that President Jean-Bertrand Aristide encouraged supporters to attack opponents and failed to help the poor. Critics also accused the government of widespread corruption. Aristide, who denied the charges, left Haiti on Sunday for the Central African Republic. He said the United States forced him out, a charge the Bush administration dismissed. A State Department spokesman said Thursday that the U.S. role in flying Aristide out of Haiti was partly a rescue mission because it spared him from "almost certain violence." The spokesman also rebuffed calls from some Caribbean governments for an investigation into whether the United States coerced Aristide to leave. On Thursday, as a key rebel leader in Haiti swapped his military outfit for a blue polo shirt and jeans, the Central African Republic said it would offer Aristide permanent asylum if he asked. Also, the Organization of American States announced the establishment Thursday of a tripartite council that is the first step to forming a government of national unity in Haiti. Hundreds of U.S. Marines patrolled Port-au-Prince as Aristide supporters questioned whether he resigned voluntarily. At least four bodies were found near the capital, including three men who were found with their hands bound and gunshot wounds to the head. In northwest Haiti, meanwhile, people struggled with the fallout from the political violence. A week and a half ago, when CARE employees in Gonaives ventured out to deliver lentils, vegetable oil and a wheat-soy blend used to make a dish like porridge or oatmeal, they noticed that vendors had dramatically raised the price of vegetable oil. Bryant said the reasons are not entirely clear, though she cited as possibilities scarce supply, profiteers or businesses that raised prices after having to hire security guards to protect deliveries. CARE started working in Haiti after a hurricane in 1954. It is one of the largest humanitarian organizations in that country. Though travel restrictions have prevented a detailed assessment of how the violence affected people CARE serves, Bryant said that information relayed by radio and satellite phone painted a picture of people in precarious straits sliding from bad to worse. "Almost certainly they will be facing a much more difficult situation," she said. The Associated Press contributed to this article.

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