JOHANNESBURG, (AFP) - Deposed Haitian leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide on Thursday mourned the death of some 1,000 Haitians killed by Tropical Storm Jeanne, offering his condolences and courage.

"It is with great sadness that I watch reports of the devastation wrought upon Haiti by Hurricane Jeanne," Aristide said in a statement, released in South Africa where he is living in exile with his wife and two daughters.

More than 1,100 people are known to have died in devastating floods in Haiti and another 1,200 are feared dead while about 250,000 others have been forced to flee their homes after Tropical Storm Jeanne left a trail of destruction in its path.

"Condolences and courage to an entire nation that has seen much pain and suffering in this tumultuous bicentennial year," said the 51-year-old former leader.

"We continue to stand in solidarity with all Haitians who suffer," he added.

Aristide arrived in South Africa on May 31, three months after a popular uprising in Haiti forced him to flee, first to the Central African Republic and then to Jamaica.

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