A Haitian man displays his goods at an improvised shop made of stones in the volatile neighbourhood of Cite Soleil in Port-au-Prince on Thursday. Cite Soleil, a city suffering from poverty and social decay, has been wracked by persistent gang violence, despite regular patrols from United Nations peacekeepers.- Reuters

PORT-AU-PRINCE (CMC):

The United Nations says its peacekeeping force in Haiti (MINUSTAH) and the Haitian National Police (HNP) have captured a notorious gang leader during an early-morning raid in the capital, Port-au-Prince.

In a statement, the U.N. said the man was captured during an exercise on Thursday as part of joint efforts to crack down on violent crime in the impoverished French-speaking Caribbean country.

Alain Cadet, the number two figure in the former Belony gang, was captured at a house, east of the Ption Ville district of Port-au-Prince, the statement said.

The Belony gang had operated in the Bois Neuf and Drouillard areas of Cit Soleil, the massive slum suburb in the capital.

Improving security

MINUSTAH Force Commander, Major General Carlos Alberto Dos Santos Cruz, said Cadet's arrest is "a significant move towards improving security" for Haitians.

"We will continue to support the HNP to arrest alleged criminals, wherever they are hiding, and confiscate the weapons and material they use to try to prevent the country's progress towards stability and prosperity," he said.

Meanwhile, a wealthy businessman suspected of being involved in the murderof Haiti's best-known journalist, was shot to death near his home on Thursday.

Robert Lecorps, who was in 1966 implicated in the 1993 murder of Haitian Justice Minister Franois Guy Malary, was shot several times by gunmen riding in a car, a police spokesman said. His body lay in the streets for several hours before being removed.