jean bertrand aristide

Here is a picture of Former President Jean Bertrand Aristide and Maryse Narcisse on the last day of campaigning

Aristide Supports Lavalas Candidate Narcisse.

Hordes of excited Haitians streamed alongside the campaign vehicle of Maryse Narcisse, riding with former President Aristide in a parade to mark the end of her campaign for president. Narcisse is running under Aristide's Fanmi Lavalas, one of 56 candidates vying for the top job.

Most of the crowd was from slum Cite Soleil and are Lavalas supporters, one of whom says "It's the party that knows the pain of the Haitian people."

Permalink | Comments

Here is a picture of Mr. Evans Paul as K-Plim, Kok-Kalite

He was born to a moderate family, spent a part of his childhood in Morne Rouge, the First Communal Section of the North Plain. He has studied communication and drama at the National Conservatory of Dramatic Art, self-taught in Sociology and Political Science and he holds a certificate from Harvard. Evans Paul was a Professor of Civic Society and the Diplomatic Academy, an expert playwright and program host Konbit Pitit Kay on Radio Cacique between 1977 to 1980.

Evans Paul is an old media man, a good orator and onetime radical militant leader who has been transformed into a moderate politician. Paul, after his split with Aristide, became his strongest critic. His predecessor Laurent Lamothe was impeached and removed from his seat following the recommendations of a presidential commission of which Paul was a member. He was a part of the movement that toppled former dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier in 1986. His relations with Duvalier soured when he was tipped as a potential successor as head of the state. In 1988, Evans was arrested under the military government of Prosper Avril; he was held in prison and tortured by the military along with other political activists.

Permalink | Comments

Kilari Anand Paul, a Christian preacher originally from India, Former US Congressman Bob Clement and Guy Philippe at a press conference in Haiti on January 28, 2007. The two had convinced Guy Philippe to lay down his arms following Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's deposition.

Permalink | Comments

Here is a famous statement pronounced by the Haitian strong man Guy Philippe as he draws a line in the sand of Deriveau for Jocelerme Privert.

"Polices are not enemies. My enemies are in the National Palace". "The President is a macaque covered with the skin of a tiger. If he thinks he is a tiger, that he comes to Pestel execute his threats".

"If the President decides to attack me, as did before him Aristide and René Préval, do not worry, we will react. I do not ask the population to face them, I have people to do it. If they want to come, let them. But when they come at the level of Deriveau, cut all the roads to prevent them from going back and I'll take care of the rest." - Guy Philippe, May, 2016

Permalink | Comments

November, 2002, Himmler Rebu, an ex-Haitian Army colonel, of Haiti's National Progressive Democratic Party, addressing a march of anti-Aristide government demonstrators.

Himmler Rebu is an ex-Haitian Army colonel in the leopard unit who jointly led the Platform of Haitian Patriots in the 2010-11 general elections with Dejean Balisaire and their party own 1 seat. Rebu led a coup attempt in 1989 against a provisional military government, and since then he kept a low profile until he was resurfaced again on November 17, 2002. On that day, he was seen addressing in a march of 15,000 anti-government demonstrators along with Evans Paul demanding Aristide's exit. Rebu told his audience to "Rise up." He said, he cannot maintain his silence because Aristide is ruining the country. He also accused then Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide behind the assassination of Haitian journalists Jean Dominique and Brignol Lindor at an anti-government rally in Cap-Haitien. Rebu claims that he has always been against any disorder irrespective of the nature of the chaos, whether it is in intellectual, political or in tactical field.

Permalink | Comments

Here is a picture of Guy Philippe celebrating after he led the 2004 coup d'état against Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Guy Philippe (February 29, 1968) is a Haitian politician, former Tonton Macoutes leader and a presidential candidate (Front for National Reconstruction, a guerrilla group) in the Haitian General Election, 2006 who led the 2004 Haitian coup d'état that ousted Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Philippe was a former Haitian Police Chief, trained by U.S Special Forces in Ecuador in the early 1990s and he was once wanted by the United States for smuggling cocaine. In the year 2000, he was accused of masterminding a coup and was subsequently removed from his post as police chief of Cap-Haïtien and Philippe fled to the Dominican Republic. In February 2004, he returned from the DR, met former militia leader Louis-Jodel Chamblain to join the 2004 Haitian coup d'état against president Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Permalink | Comments

Here is the return of Jean Bertrand Aristide from Exile, October 5, 1994 with 20,000 US troops to bolster his new administration.

Aristide, the first democratically elected President with 67% supports, was ousted from power by a September 30, 1991 military coup, because his initiated reforms angered the military and Haiti's elite. When the coup regime collapsed in 1994 under US pressure, following a huge peaceful public demonstration of Aristide supporters (about 250,000 people) in New York, urging the U.S President Bill Clinton to deliver on his election promise to return Aristide to Haiti, the U.S and other international communities, including the UN Security Council, persuaded the military regime to let Aristide return to power. On October 15, 1994, President Aristide returned to Haiti to complete his term in President's office.

Permalink | Comments

These pictures show Jean Bertrand Aristide arriving at Bangui M'Poko International Airport which is an international airport located northwest of Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, following his second exile from Haiti.

The second set shows Jean Bertrand Aristis, his wife Mildred Aristide and their two children Christine and Michaelle Aristide arriving in South Africa where he would be allowed to live in exile until he can safely return to Haiti.

For the second coup D'Etat given to Jean Bertrand Aristide, not so much as individuals but rather countries are accused. On February 29, 2004, the US, France and Canada are accused to be the masters behind the overthrew of Jean Bertrand Aristide government.

Following several weeks of conflicts, Jean-Bertrand Aristide was ousted in a 2004 Haitian coup d'état in which one of his former soldiers (Guy Philippe) took the leading role. However, Aristide accused the U.S as one of the accomplices for orchestrating the coup d'état against him with support from Jamaican Prime Minister P. J. Patterson and countries like France, Canada and some others. On 25 February, 2004, Guy Philippe and rebel forces surrounded Port-au-Prince and announced plans to arrest Aristide. On 29 February, 2004, Aristide resigned as President and left Haiti with his wife on board a U.S. military plane to the Central African Republic. In an interview on CNN, on March 2, 2004, he said he was told to resign to avoid bloodshed. He later claimed that, his departure was a kidnapping, accusing the U.S. for orchestrating a coup d'état against him.

Permalink | Comments

Here are some of the statements made during a speech given by former Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide on September 27, 1991. Do you think that the speech promotes violence and the use of Pè Lebrun by the Haitian population?

Aristide was without equal when it comes to popularity among the people. He won the nation's first democratic election in December 1990 with 67% votes. However, he was caught between plots by the Duvalierists with country's wealthy elites. On Friday, September 27 1991, he delivered a speech, activating the common people against the wealthy elites and power mongers of the country. This speech is famously known as "Aristide's Famous Pe Lebrun Speech" and as a consequence, on September 29, 1991, Aristide was overthrown, just two days after delivering the speech. In every protest in Haiti, the protesters often burn tires. Pere Lebrun was the name of a former tire manufacturer and a major retailer of automobile tires in Haiti. 'Pe leburn' is a nickname of burning tires. In his eight months in president's office, Aristide alienated many civil servants, attempted to undermine the country's military forces and challenged the authority responsible to draft the constitution. He publicly distinguished the elites between patriotic elite and the 'patripoch' (pocket-stuffing) elite.

Aristide's supporters, following the historic speech on September 27, intimidated the news media that Aristide would legitimize his speech. He would place burning tires around the necks of the suspected opponents and burn them to death. However, very few historians have had the opportunity to hear and understand this historic speech live on September 27th which is often considered as his best speech delivered so far. It is a fact that there is no proof anywhere that suggests Aristide's policy was to urge people to burn people. Rather, when he came to power in 1991, unlike his predecessors, he tried to bring more issues and people under the rule of law. There are many Haitians who think that Aristide was unfairly treated. He was demonized by wealthy Haitians who own 90% of Haiti's wealth and act as overseers for empire. Aristide denounced the evil schemes of these imperialists and their agents in the Haitian oligarchy.

Permalink | Comments

Here are some pictures taken following the departure of Jean-Bertrand Aristide to Exile.

One study found that, following the departure of Aristide in 2004, about 8,000 people in Port-au-Prince alone were murdered and over 35,000 sexually assaulted. Armed rebels and angry partisans took control of half the country. In a news conference, Prime Minister Yvon Neptune said, President Aristide resigned to avoid further violence and bloodbath. We might remember that in connection with the resignation and departure of Aristide, about 44 Lavalas opponents were killed in the town of Saint-Marc. Seven people were arrested, including former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune and former Interior Minister and present interim President Jocelerme Privert. However, Yvon Neptune objected to the term 'massacre', because he considered "that was a fight between two different sides. Ramicose, which was an organization close to the opposition, fought with Bale Wouze, which was a popular organization belonging to Lavalas. Since no proper evidence was found, none of the accused was convicted.

Permalink | Comments