Four killed as Haitians riot over prices

By Joseph Guyler Delva

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - Four people were killed in southern Haiti when demonstrators protesting the high cost of living clashed with security forces, a local official said on Friday.

The United Nations said protesters rioted in the town of Les Cayes on Thursday, burning shops, shooting at peacekeepers and looting containers at a U.N. compound.

"At least four people have been killed and about 20 others wounded," said Gabriel Fortune, a senator from the southern region, who condemned the violent behavior of the demonstrators.

"The movement started well, but it was spoiled by the intrusion of a number of criminals that have nothing to do with the legitimate demands of the population," said Fortune.

Food prices in Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, have soared in recent months, stoking anger against the government of President Rene Preval.

Preval's election in 2006 raised expectations that the country would finally start on the path to stability after decades of turbulence, culminating in the February 2004 ouster of former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Les Cayes was tense after the riots and the U.N. force trying to maintain peace in the volatile Caribbean country sent 100 peacekeepers as reinforcements, the U.N. statement said.

A small group of protesters broke into the U.N. compound in Les Cayes, damaging the main gate and ignoring warning shots from peacekeepers, the statement said.