Haitian police forces regained three cities from the rebels Tuesday but the rebellion against President Jean-Bertrand Aristide is going on, reports from the capital city of Port-au-Prince said.  

Governmental officials said police, supported by militias, cracked down on the rebels in Dondon, a city 20 km north of Cabo Haitiano, the country's second most important city.

Police recovered the port city of San Marco, 72 km of Port-au-Prince, Monday. The city of Grand Goave was also taken back by police.

The coalition of opposition parties denied on Monday night being part of the armed rebellion but claimed to have participated in the people's peaceful fight for democracy.

The Haitian crisis worsened last Thursday when the opposition forces took control of the city of Gonaives, which is 110 km northwest of the capital and the fourth most important city in this impoverished island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea.

In less than a week, the rebels had controlled dozens of towns in a violent drive to force Aristide to step down and the rebellion had claimed 42 lives.

Opposition parties, charging Aristide's Lavalas Family Party with rigging in election, have demanded his resignation since the legislative elections in 2000.

Aristide, the country's first elected president, has insisted that he would not step down until his term expires in 2006.

Haiti, with a population of 8 million, has suffered repeated civil wars and dictatorships since independence 200 years ago.

(Xinhua News Agency February 11, 2004)