U.N. warns of violence near food-aid locations in Haiti

Twenty armed men blocked a road in southwestern Haiti and tried to hijack a convoy of food for earthquake victims but were driven off by police gunfire, the United Nations said.

In Port-au-Prince, an angry crowd demonstrated outside a U.N. distribution point after news spread that a local mayor demanded that the site be moved away from their area.

Haitian police have increased their own patrols and are accompanying U.N. police guarding aid distribution. The government has asked all non-governmental aid groups in the country to start working with it to improve the often disjointed food distribution.

"It is true we are in need," said Sen. Jean Joel Joseph. "But don't treat us like dogs. We ask the prime minister to ask the foreigners to reorganize the way this aid is being distributed."

The convoy attack happened over the weekend as trucks in Jérémie carried supplies from an airport. The convoy was met by about 20 armed men who blockaded a street and tried to steal the food, U.N. spokesman Vicenzo Pugliese said. U.N. and Haitian officers fired warning shots and the men took off, he said. No injuries were reported.