UN concerned about security in Haiti

The United Nations warned Tuesday that the security situation in Haiti has the potential to deteriorate after a weekend attempt by armed men to hijack a food convoy.

"The overall security situation across the country remains stable but potentially volatile," the UN said in a statement.

On Saturday, about 20 armed men blocked a road and tried to hijack the convoy, which was carrying supplies from an airport in the town of Jeremie in southern Haiti, UN spokesman Vicenzo Pugliese said.

The armed men were dispersed when UN and Haitian officers fired warning shots, Pugliese said. There were no injuries reported.

Three weeks after the Jan. 12 magnitude-7.0 earthquake that devastated the country, the attempted hijacking shows the frustrations of Haitians with recovery efforts. The quake killed as many as 200,000 people and devastated much of the country's infrastructure.

Thousands of people are living in tent communities, while relief agencies are still struggling to distribute food aid.

Meanwhile, a group of 10 Americans accused of trying to take a busload of Haitian children out of the country met with a lawyer and a judge on Tuesday, said Communications Minister Marie-Laurence Jocelyn Lassegue.

The 10 members of an Idaho-based Baptist church group are currently being held without charges.

Haitian Prime Minister Max Bellerive said members of the group may be prosecuted in the United States because Haiti's court system is damaged and may not be able to handle a trial.

U.S. Embassy officials in Haiti have not said if a court procedure in the U.S. is possible.

Canada's Foreign Affairs Department said that as of Tuesday, 26 Canadians had been confirmed dead and 98 are missing.