GUNMEN opened fire on an opposition rally in Haiti yesterday, killing at least six people, including a journalist, and wounding 34 more, as Haitians awaited the naming of a government.

HAITI'S Prime Minister Yvon Neptune declared a state of emergency, as rebels agreed to disarm and US and French troops staged a show of force in Port-au-Prince following deadly gun battles.

HAITI'S rebels raised the stakes in the country's crisis by declaring themselves in control of security, refusing to disarm and vowing to arrest Jean Bertrand Aristide.

THREE more people were killed in Haiti as government forces clashed with rebels, while UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said he would send a team to assess the humanitarian situation here.