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  NEWSDESK

23 Sep 2003 21:44:39 GMT
Haitian gang leader killed

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Sept 23 (Reuters) - A gang leader and supporter of Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide whose arrest had been sought by the Organization of American States has been killed, a local official said on Tuesday.

The body of "Cannibal Army" chief Amiot Metayer was found on a mountainside outside the western town of Saint Marc, said the town's mayor, Paul Pollux. Metayer had been shot four times, twice in the head.

Metayer, held in connection with attacks on rival gangs, fled from a Gonaives jail in August 2002 with more than 150 other inmates when supporters used a bulldozer to break through the prison wall. After his escape, Metayer appeared frequently in public in Gonaives and led demonstrations.

The Organization of American States, trying to broker a settlement in Haiti's political deadlock resulting from tainted May 2000 parliamentary elections, urged the government to rearrest Metayer as part of a plan to win back international support. The government said it planned to rearrest him but was taking its time to avoid bloodshed.

The failure of the administration to make the arrest stoked tensions between the government and the opposition in the impoverished Caribbean nation.

Critics say the "Cannibal Army" has harassed and threatened government opponents and journalists critical of the government.




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