Haiti Clashes Escalate

BBC ^ | 11-27-2002

[blam]

Wednesday, 27 November, 2002, 14:48 GMT

Haiti clashes escalate

Petit-Goave demonstrators called for Aristide's removal

There have been renewed clashes between anti-government protesters and supporters of Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. In the city of Petit-Goave, about 70 kilometres (45 miles) west of the capital Port-au-Prince, more than 1,000 people demonstrated against Mr Aristide - his supporters pelted them with rocks.

In Gonaives, some 130 km north of the capital, anti-government protesters clashed with 200 heavily-armed members of a street gang known as the Cannibal Army which is said to be loyal to the president.

Aristide is accused of allowing a "climate of terror" to develop

At least nine people have been injured this week, including a high school student who is in critical condition after being shot twice in the head.

Over the last two weeks, there have been a number of opposition protests and violent counter-demonstrations by armed supporters of the president which have paralysed city streets and businesses.

"The situation is very delicate and we fear civil war," Prime Minister Yvon Neptune said on Monday.

Opposition groups are calling for the removal of Mr Aristide, a former Roman Catholic priest now in his second term as president.

Haiti Aristide re-elected in 2000 in a poll boycotted by the opposition First elected president in 1990 - ousted by a coup seven months later Returned to power in 1994 with US backing

Business leaders accused the authorities earlier this week of allowing what they called a "climate of terror" to dominate the country.

Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the region and correspondents say the worsening economic situation has contributed to discontentment with Mr Aristide.

The government has accused the private sector of pushing for "foreign intervention".

Officials blame much of the nation's insecurity on a lack of support from international financial institutions.

The international community suspended millions of dollars in aid to Haiti after the disputed May 2000 elections, which gave Mr Aristide's governing Lavalas Family party most of the parliamentary seats.

[blam]

Another Clinton failure. Get the Coast Guard ready for the invasion.

[Austin Willard Wright]

Let's hope Bush learns from this failed attempt at U.S. international social engineering and doesn't attempt a similar nation building/occupation operation in Iraq.

[xrp]

Is there any black-majority country with a population over 1,000,000 where the country is at relative peace and calm? Many of the lesser Antilles Caribbean islands are majority black and are fairly peaceful, but once the population is larger, all hell seems to frequently break loose.

[r9etb]

Another Clinton failure.

To a point. Clinton did foist Aristide onto them in '94, which was probably a bad move. The other guy (whose name I cannot recall) probably wouldn't have done any better, however.

Haiti was and will continue to be a mess. They've never been capable of self-government -- though dictatorship did provide a modicum of stability. About the nicest thing we could do for them would be a "humanitarian colonization."

[TeleStraightShooter]

Let's hope Bush learns from this failed attempt at U.S. international social engineering and doesn't attempt a similar nation building/occupation operation in Iraq.

Iraq has a richer history than Haiti & Somalia.
They have, to a degree, in exile abroad, a quasi-middle class, which are required for successful "nation-building" {read Germany/Japan}.

[Ben Ficklin]

Maybe I missed it, but I haven't seen the US media covering this story.

[Austin Willard Wright]

I disagree. Iraq's middle class is feeble and notoriously slavish. It has no Democratic tradition at all. You are right about Germany and Japan, however. To a large degree, both had experience with functioning democratic institutions as well as vibrant middle classes. Iraq can make neither claim. Iran would be a much better candidate for a democratic revolution in this regard than Iraq. Even under the Mullahs, it has had a quasi-participatory system with elections, limited debate, etc.

[blam]

"Maybe I missed it, but I haven't seen the US media covering this story."

Not enough victims yet. (Waiting for the sensational boat scenes)

[far sider]

Haiti has a cruel, cruel history. It's hard to believe how cruelly the Haitians were treated by the French. That resulted in a truly pathological history since independence and series of pathological dictators. The US tends to make things worse in Haiti through well intentioned aid and unwise intervention. Whatever Africa's or the Caribbean's problems are, Haiti's are truly unique.

Pray for the lives and safety of American missionaries and Haitian Christians who really are the country's only hope for peace ad prosperity in the future.