Nigerian UN peacekeepers stand inside the truck containing the body of a fellow soldier in Port-au-Prince, 12 Apr 2008

U.N. officials in Haiti say a U.N. police officer has been shot dead in Port-au-Prince where protesters have demonstrated against high food prices.

Witnesses say the Nigerian peacekeeper was dragged from his car and shot Saturday as he was taking food to colleagues at a police station in the capital.

Port-au-Prince has been shaken by riots over increased food prices, and protesters have repeatedly clashed with U.N. peacekeepers and local police in recent days.

Earlier Saturday in Haiti, Parliament voted to dismiss Prime Minister Jacques Edouard Alexis, despite a last-minute announcement by President René Preval of an emergency 15 percent cut in the price of rice.

Mr. Preval said the cost difference will be paid for by both the private sector and international donors.

Thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets in the past week to protest high prices. Protesters clashed with U.N. peacekeepers as they tried to storm the National Palace in the capital of Port-Au-Prince.

At least five people were killed in demonstrations throughout the island nation.

Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, has been hard hit by global increases in food costs.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, and Reuters.