Crowds cheer Haiti rebels as US troops arrive

A REBEL convoy was greeted with jubilation when it rolled in to the capital yesterday as US troops hit the streets to help quell the violence following the departure of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

The tumultuous scene in the La Plaine suburb came as American and French marines in Port-au-Prince prepared to fan out and protect key sites.

Mr Aristide, the former president, who left office on Sunday amid pressure from Haiti's political opposition, the rebels and the US and France, arrived in the Central African Republic for "a few days," according to state radio.