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A So
uth African helicopter belonging to President Thabo Mbeki's
advance protection team has come under fire in the Caribbean island
state of Haiti, prompting Mbeki to cancel a scheduled visit to the
northwestern city of Gonaives, police said Friday.
"A helicopter belonging to the South African security forces came
under fire (Thursday) in Haiti while doing an advance sweep before
a scheduled visit to a soup ceremony in Gonaives, celebrating the
country's independence," said spokesperson Selby Bokaba.
"The helicopter turned back and our forces of the advance team on
the ground were withdrawn," Senior Superintendent Bokaba
said.
He said Mbeki who was supposed to attend the soup ceremony –
a tradition, which was celebrated for the first time by Haitians
after independence in 1804 - was still in the capital of
Port-au-Prince.
"At no stage did the South Africans return fire," Bokaba stressed,
but added that the situation was "volatile".
"Neither did any of our forces return fire," he said.
"The president will return from his visit to Haiti tomorrow
(Saturday) as scheduled," Khumalo said.
Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide on Thursday celebrated the
bicentennial of his country's independence amid political chaos and
abject poverty.
The former Roman Catholic priest, with Mbeki at his side, took the
rostrum in front of the National Palace to declare before an ocean
of flag-waving supporters, "a bicentennial of freedom, for a
millennium of peace".
The anniversary commemorated history's only successful revolt by
slaves, who sent Napoleon's troops packing 200 years ago.
But what should have been a festive event for Aristide was marred
by demonstrations demanding his resignation under a cloud of
elusive democracy, economic chaos, primitive health care and
sanitary conditions.
Thousands of Aristide's supporters and opponents clashed in the
capital in a stone-throwing melee that left at least eight injured,
two of them of gunshot wounds. – Sapa-AFP.