Anti-government protesters have clashed with police in the Haitian capital of Port-Au-Prince as President Jean-Bertrand Aristide marked the country's bicentennial.
A large crowd gathered at the National Palace for the country's 200th anniversary of independence from France but as thousands of protesters tried to march toward on the palace, police used tear gas and fired into the air to hold them back.
Many of the demonstrators reacted angrily, setting up numerous road blocks around the city with burning tires, vehicles, car parts and rocks, witnesses said.
Supporters of President Aristide joined police in trying to push the demonstrators back and rocks were thrown from both sides. The crowds were finally dispersed when Aristide supporters began firing guns, witnesses and local media said.
Independent radio station, Radio Metropole, said two demonstrators were shot and wounded in the capital. Another Radio station, Vision 2000, said six people had gunshot wounds.
Haiti, which shares the Caribbean island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic, became the first black republic when it put an end to slavery and declared independence on January 1st, 1804.
Its history has been plagued by violence and, in recent times, by tensions between Mr Aristide and his political opponents, who accuse his government of corruption, mismanagement and human rights violations.
In recent months, thousands have taken to the streets almost daily to protest against Aristide. Several dozen people have died in political violence since mid-September.
Mr Aristide, a former Roman Catholic priest who was once a popular hero of Haiti's fledgling democracy, trumpeted the country's freedom and pledged to work to eradicate poverty, illiteracy and sickness among Haiti's 8 million people.
"The first black republic of the world is and remains the epicenter of liberty for blacks," he told the crowd outside the National Palace.
Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, has an unemployment rate of more than 70 per cent, an average income of less than $1 a day and an average life expectancy of 50 years.
Guests at the celebrations included South African President Thabo Mbeki, who told the crowd that Haiti's slave revolt had inspired the world.
The successful uprising delivered a "deadly blow to the slave traders who had scoured the coasts of West and East Africa for slaves and ruined the lives of millions of Africans," Mr Mbeki said.