A group of Haitian protesters have clashed with UN troops in the capital Port-au-Prince over "the lack of foreign aid and continuing foreign military presence."
Around a hundred protesters blocked the entrance to the main UN base around Port-au-Prince's airport on Friday and shouted anti-UN slogans. They were met with UN soldiers who fired warning shots and used force to disperse the crowd, reports say.
The protesters say they want "real assistance, not the renewal of ... an occupying military force."
The angry Haitians were protesting the annual renewal of the UN's 12,000-member military and police force in the Caribbean nation, AP reported.
The UN Security Council voted on Thursday torenew the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti, which has been in place since the 2004 ouster of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
Poverty-stricken Haitians, however, have been demanding international assistance particularly after the country's devastating 2010 earthquake which left trails of deaths and destructions. They say foreign forces under the UN mandate have only occupied the Caribbean nation without engaging in serious relief or aid efforts.
An investigation by The Associated Press has determined that none of the $1.15bn in rebuilding funding promised by the US has arrived.
There have also been reports of a rise in drug trafficking and criminal-gang activities in the country.
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