Rebels who overran Haiti's second-largest city began detaining people identified as supporters of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide yesterday, and said they soon will attack Haiti's capital.
There were two attacks on Sunday on police stations outside Port-au-Prince, independent Radio Kiskeya reported from the capital, and supporters of Haiti's president began building barricades to protect the city from the rebels.
In Cap-Haitien, where rebels celebrated their biggest victory of a bloody uprising, a rampage of looting continued yesterday as rebels detained supposed Aristide militants.
"I am a brick mason, I didn't do anything wrong," Jean-Bernard Prevalis, 33, pleaded as he was dragged away, head bleeding.
Residents, however, charged he was an Aristide activist and a drug trafficker.
"We're going to clean the city of all chimere," said rebel Dieusauver Magustin, 26, using the Creole word "ghost" to describe pro-government militants.
It was not clear what would happen to those detained. One rebel said they were saving them from lynching.
Another, Claudy Philippe, said "The people show us the [chimere] houses. If they are there we execute them."
Thousands of people were in the streets to continue a looting rampage that began on Sunday, when rebel leader Guy Philippe predicted a quick victory over Aristide's partisan.
"I think that in less than 15 days we will control all of Haiti," Philippe said in Cap-Haitien, a city of 500,000 on Haiti's north coast.
Sunday's victory means more than half of Haiti now is beyond the control of the central government. Sources close to the government said several Cabinet ministers in Port-au-Prince were asking friends for places to hide in case the capital is attacked.
France yesterday urged its citizens to leave Haiti. There are about 30,000 foreigners in Haiti, including about 20,000 Americans, 2,000 French and 1,000 Canadians.
French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin reiterated that France was ready to help end the chaos by contributing to a multinational intervention force.
"We are ready to give our assistance as long as the international community is mobilized and in agreement, as long as the United Nations gives a mandate," he said, adding: "We are unfortunately not yet at this stage."
The takeover of Cap-Haitien by only some 200 fighters was the most significant victory since the popular uprising began on Feb. 5. At least 15 were killed in Sunday's fighting. In a two-pronged rebel assault, rebels quickly engulfed key points in Cap-Haitien, leaving many in ashes.
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