Protesters march to demand the return of former president

On 16 December 2008 thousands of protesters marched in Port-au-Prince and Cap-Hatien to demand the return of former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who has lived in exile in South Africa since 2004. Aristide's Fanmi Lavalis Party organized the demonstrations to mark the 18th anniversary of his first election as president. U.N. peacekeeping troops and Haitian police maintained a sizeable presence near government buildings to maintain order. There were reports of brief clashes near the Presidential Palace, where protesters threw stones and bottles at police officers, who responded by firing shots in the air. In addition, protesters broke several car windshields in the area