"If you love Wyclef that means you love Haiti," Grammy-winning singer-songwriter/producer Wyclef Jean said in a recorded radio message run by local stations in the nation. "So you should not be raping women, kidnapping people and children. There can be no excuse for doing so."

Jean, who was appointed by Haitian President Rene Preval to serve as a roving ambassador last year, is now coming to the country's aid as part of the U.N.'s latest peacekeeping mission. Haitian officials are working to reduce a rise in crime, including kidnappings and gang violence, and they hope the singer's influence will make a difference.

"All kinds of Haitians, the good guys as well as the bad guys, have a lot of appreciation for Wyclef for what he represents as a Haitian," Fred Blaise, a spokesman for the U.N. police, told Reuters. "So they would be more likely to be receptive to Wyclef's message because they are all proud of him."