U.S. marines to protect embassy

CAP-HAITIEN, Haiti -- Fifty Marines headed Monday to protect the U.S. Embassy and its staff after rebels overran Haiti's second-largest city and threatened to attack the capital, Port-au-Prince.\nResidents of Cap-Haitien went on a rampage of reprisal and looting for a second day as supporters of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide armed themselves and set up burning barricades outside Port-au-Prince. There were ominous but unconfirmed reports of rebels executing Aristide backers.\nThe Marines were dispatched to the capital to secure the embassy, according to Western diplomats and a Defense Department official.\nTwo police stations outside Port-au-Prince were attacked Sunday, leaving one passer-by dead, independent Radio Kiskeya reported.\nA homemade bomb exploded overnight at Carnival celebrations at the Champs de Mars -- Port-au-Prince's central plaza in front of the presidential National Palace, killing one teenager and wounding two people, radio stations reported.\nThe takeover of Cap-Haitien by about 200 fighters was the most significant advance by Aristide's opponents since the uprising began Feb 5. More than 70 people have been killed, including 17 Sunday.\nThere were occasional bursts of gunfire Monday in Cap-Hatien, a city of 500,000 on Haiti's north coast. Rebels celebrated and detained supposed Aristide militants.\n"I am a brick mason, I didn't do anything wrong!" Jean-Bernard Prevalis, 33, pleaded as he was dragged away, his head bleeding. Residents alleged he was an Aristide activist and a drug trafficker.\n"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.\nIt was not clear what would happen to those who were 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."\nPolice in Cap-Haitien remained barricaded in their posts, saying they lacked the means and the manpower to fight off the insurgents. Some hardcore Aristide militants roamed the streets and terrorized the president's opponents until the rebels moved in.\nThousands demonstrated in favor of the rebellion, chanting "Aristide get out!" and "Goodbye Aristide."\nLooters stole 800 tons of food at the U.N. World Food Program warehouse, according to the agency's Andrea Bagnoli, and people torched the home of pro-Aristide Mayor Wilmar Innocent.\nRebel leader Guy Philippe predicted a quick victory.\n"I think that in less than 15 days we will control all of Haiti," he said at a Cap-Haitien hotel as he drank a bottle of beer.\nPhilippe said nothing could be done to stop the looting and blamed Aristide's government for leaving most of Haiti's 8 million people hungry and desperate.\nThe rebels also cut cellular telephone service in the city, saying they wanted no communication with Port-au-Prince.\nSources close to the government said several Cabinet ministers in Port-au-Prince were asking friends for places to hide should the capital be attacked by anti-government protesters.\nMonday, France urged its citizens to leave Haiti. The United States did the same Thursday.\nThere are about 30,000 foreigners in Haiti, including about 20,000 Americans, 2,000 French and 1,000 Canadians.\nThe political opposition has said it will respond by 5 p.m. Monday to a U.S.-backed peace plan that calls for Aristide to remain president while sharing some power with rivals until new elections are organized.\nThe Red Cross, meanwhile, was trying to avert a collapse of medical care in Haiti, a senior official said Monday.\n"The situation is unraveling very quickly, probably more quickly than anybody would have thought," said Yves Giovannoni, head of operations for Latin America and the Caribbean at the International Committee of the Red Cross, speaking in Geneva. ICRC staff are reporting 30 to 50 people a day injured by the fighting.\nThe two-pronged rebel assault quickly engulfed key points in Cap-Haitien. The police station was burned, then looted, as was a pro-Aristide radio station. Thousands of people rushed to the port and carted off goods.\n"We're all hungry," said Jean Luc, 11, who strapped four huge sacks of rice to his bicycle and was trying to pedal it home.\nResidents also defaced posters of Aristide, who was wildly popular when he became Haiti's first freely elected leader in 1990 but lost support after flawed legislative elections in 2000 led international donors to freeze millions of dollars in aid.\nOpponents accuse him of failing to help those in need in the Western hemisphere's poorest country, allowing corruption and masterminding attacks on opponents by armed gangs. Aristide denies the charges.\nThe rebels say they have no political agenda beyond ousting Aristide, but the man who started the rebellion, Gonaives gang leader Buteur Metayer, on Thursday declared himself the president of liberated Haiti.