Anti-government protesters, riot police clash in Haiti

Anti-government protesters in Haiti have clashed with riot police in the capital, Port-au-Prince.

Thousands of people took to the streets of downtown Port-au-Prince on Tuesday to call for the resignation of President Michel Martelly and an end to the United States’ support for his administration.

The protesters were holding a sign reading “USA Stop Supporting Drug-Dealers, Kidnappers, Robbers, Bribers against Haitian people.”

According to reports, the demonstrators pelted security forces with rocks. The police forces responded by firing tear gas and live rounds. There were no immediate reports of injuries or arrests, however.

The Haitian government has been facing increasing opposition rallies over the past months.

On June 5, an estimated 5,000 protesters marched through the capital to voice their anger at widespread government corruption and the failure of the Martelly administration to improve employment, the education system and healthcare. Critics say Martelly has not done enough to alleviate the food crisis in the impoverished Caribbean nation since being sworn in as president in May 2011.

The president, however, accuses his opponents of fueling instability and discouraging foreign investment in the country.

A delay in the Haitian legislative elections has also fueled the anti-government demonstrations.

According to figures by the World Bank, Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with about 80 percent of its rural population living in poverty.