Haiti getting guns from United States

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Aug. 5 (UPI) -- U.S. officials in Haiti acknowledged Friday the United States will provide Haitian police with guns and riot control equipment.

The arming of the Haitian police is an effort to curtail violence in the Caribbean nation ahead of elections scheduled for later this year.

"Given the state of insecurity in this country, the attempts to create chaos, we had to do our best to protect the people from the forces of insecurity and criminality," said U.S. Ambassador James Foley.

The decision to send more arms to Haiti follows a recent report that there are some 170,000 illegal small arms in the country.

Last year Haiti was plunged into violence when armed rebels began taking over the country trying to force then-President Jean-Bertrand Aristide out of office. Aristide finally left the country in February 2004.