UN troops fire to control starving crowds in Haiti

GONAIVES, HAITI - There was another food riot in Gonaives on Monday. UN peacekeepers had to fire their weapons into the air to restore order.

• INDEPTH: Haiti

U.N. Argentinian soldiers try to control the crowd of people shoving and jostling for food in Gonaives, Haiti (AP Photo)

The Brazilian soldiers were forced to push back starving people intent on trying to rob UN trucks carrying bags of rice and beans.

Bullet shells littered the ground and there were more injuries as the troops tried to contain the crowd. Doctors said later they treated at least 30 people for bullet wounds.

People had lined up for food since before daybreak, after spending the night being drenched by a thunderstorm. Dozens were able to walk away with clean water and food; many others were not as lucky.

Brazilian Gen. Augusto Heleno Ribeiro Pereira, who is in charge of the UN force in Haiti, says he needs twice the 3,000 troops he has to help in the aftermath of tropical storm Jeanne.

The peacekeepers are spread thin in Gonaives.

About 100 Uruguayan soldiers and 50 Argentine troops arrived on Sunday to reinforce about 600 UN troops in the city. Some have been sent to stop looters attempting to rob the convoys on the outskirts of the city, before they can bring sorely needed relief.

On Sunday, at least one aid truck was emptied by looters just before getting into the city.

There are tons of food, medicine and other relief supplies coming into Haiti, but it is a daunting task making the trek north to the worst damaged areas. Part of the highway is still covered with a large brown lake that covers thick gooey mud.

Survivors in Gonaives are also having to deal with crippling diarrhea, respiratory infections and skin disease. Doctors warn there is a risk of typhoid and malaria outbreaks that could swamp the already over-populated hospitals in the storm-ravaged city.

Cuban doctors who have set up a clinic say they are treating 500 patients a day. "The main need now is to clean the streets of wreckage because there are still a lot of neighborhoods underwater and this is the biggest need in order to reduce the risk of infectious diseases," said one doctor.

In every corner of the city, people are still looking for missing loved ones. "We were all inside, but my mother's old and there wasn't a man at home to help her get on the rooftop. Somebody tried to lift her up, but she fell and disappeared," said Mariana Jeanne Philippe, who was able to go out and shop on Monday for the first time in a week.

A week after Jeanne tore through Gonaives, the markets are coming back to life. But the prices are high and many simply cannot afford the food they so desperately need.

More than 1,500 people died in Haiti during the storm and in its aftermath. Another 1,000 are missing and presumed dead. A further 300,000 are homeless, 200,000 in Gonaives alone.