Bel Air Burns while Quebec Premier Meets With Haitian Leaders
2005 June 5th · Reed LindsayPORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Cinder block and sheet metal houses were still in flames and pools of blood had not dried around midday on Saturday hours after Haitian police had led a major operation to root out gang members in the poor neighborhood of Bel Air in coordination with United Nations peacekeepers.
Residents of Bel Air, a stronghold of support for former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, said police entered the neighborhood around 9am, shooting into alleyways, knocking down doors, and dousing houses with gasoline before setting them on fire. At least six houses were still burning and smoldering early Saturday afternoon.