United Nations Radio

The UN Stabilization Force in Haiti, known as MINUSTAH, has strongly condemned the shooting of its plain-clothed police officer in the capital Port-au-Prince on Saturday.

The 36-year-old Nigerian was driving through the Bel-Air neighborhood with three colleagues when unidentified individuals stopped his vehicle, dragged him out and shot him to death. MINUSTAH considers unacceptable the targeting of its personnel whose mission is to provide stability in the country.

Haitian police and the Mission have launched an investigation into the killing. The Nigerian peacekeeper is the latest victim of violence in Haiti caused by rising food prices. Only last week five people died in the riots. MINUSTAH spokesperson Sophie Boutaud says the UN police are doing their best to maintain law and order in the capital:

"We are doing some patrols during the night and during the day, we have some checkpoints, we have our regular activities and we are trying to support the best way we can the national institutions and the national police to restore the calm and order."

On Saturday the Senate in a vote of no-confidence deposed Haiti's Prime Minister Jacques-Edouard Alexi amid violent street protests and looting over steep food prices.

The country's president Rene Preval introduced a 15% reduction in the price of rice. And the World Bank announced a 10 million dollar grant to help the Government of Haiti respond to the impact of rising food prices on poor families. The grant will be used to provide food for poor children and other vulnerable groups, partly through expanding the Bank's existing school feeding program.

Reporting for UN Radio, I am Elena Vapnitchnaia.

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