Man Stoned to Death in Haiti Anti-Government Protests

A man has been stoned to death in Haiti Friday after anti-government protests turned violent in the capital Port-au-Prince. A violent mob has been blamed for the death. The unidentified man was reportedly attacked by the crowd for wearing a military outfit associated with a military group disbanded in 1995.

According to teleSUR correspondent in Haiti Madelein Garcia, a member of a paramilitary group was beaten to death after he fell from a truck.

16. Uno de los paramilitares cayó de una camioneta al piso y fue agarrado por los manifestantes golpeado hasta morir pic.twitter.com/WjqjBS7tlO

— Madelein Garcia (@madeleintlSUR) February 5, 2016

Former military/paramilitaries threaten violence against protesters in PAP, #Haiti today pic.twitter.com/Jd7IMobgjK

— HaitiInfoProject (@HaitiInfoProj) February 5, 2016

Absolutely unnecessary! They're pointing guns at people! #haitielection #haiti pic.twitter.com/h5KoEc31Tt

— bahare khodabande (@bahare_kh) February 5, 2016

Garcia says the violence broke out after President Martelly put forward a set of proposals aimed at resolving the country's political crisis. The proposals included transfering the presidential mandate to the National Assembly and appointing the president of the Supreme Court as interim leader.

According to Garcia, social movements and the opposition were angered by the lack of consultation and rejected the governments proposals, demanding instead that the president leave office by the February 7 deadline and call for new elections.

Tensions escalated when armed paramilitaries, led by Guy Phillipes, took to the streets in protest, ignoring police orders and demanding their right to demonstrate.

The death comes after the United States State Department issued an urgent message to U.S. citizens in Haiti, warning "demonstrations in Haiti, even peaceful ones, can escalate quickly and even turn violent, so the embassy urges all U.S. citizens to remain vigilant, be aware of their surroundings, and avoid this area as much as possible."

The Haitian government is grappling with serious problems after the country failed to elect a successor to President Michel Martelly.

The first round of Haiti's presidential election was held Oct. 25, 2015, but a planned runoff in December of last year has been repeatedly postponed amid violence and opposition allegations of electoral fraud.

The power vacuum has led to widespread protests and growing political insecurity.