Armed
      rebels,
      made
      up
      mostly
      of
      for-
     
     
      mer
      members
      of
      Haiti’s
      military,
     
     
      swelled
      into
      the
      nation’s
      capital
      Port-
     
     
      au-Prince
      early
      last
      week
      following
     
     
      president
      Jean-Bertrand
      Aristide’s
     
     
      resignation
      and
      departure
      from
      Haiti
     
     
      under
      armed
      US
      guard.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Aristide’s
      resignation
      came
      one
      day
     
     
      after
      he
      vowed
      to
      remain
      in
      office
     
     
      until
      the
      end
      of
      his
      elected
      mandate,
     
     
      set
      for
      February
      7th
      2006.
      The
      50
     
     
      year-old
      former
      priest
      was
      democrati-
     
     
      cally
      elected
      on
      November
      26th
      2000,
     
     
      and
      said
      in
      his
      letter
      of
      resignation
     
     
      that
      he
      was
      only
      stepping
      down
      to
     
     
      ensure
      the
      "life
      and
      peace"
      of
      his
      peo-
     
     
      ple.
      "If
      my
      resignation
      can
      prevent
     
     
      bloodshed,
      I
      will
      agree
      to
      go."
      He
     
     
      claimed
      that
      terrorists
      and
      criminals
     
     
      had
      orchestrated
      a
      coup
      to
      purge
      him
     
     
      from
      office.
      After
      being
      by
      of
      20
     
     
      heavily-armed
      US
      Marines
      out
      of
     
     
      Port-au-Prince,
      he
      was
      flown
      by
      a
      US
     
     
      military
      envoy
      to
      the
      Central
      African
     
     
      Republic
      where
      he
      remains
      as
      a
      polit-
     
     
      ical
      exile.
      He
      said
      later
      that
      the
      US
     
     
      had
      committed
      what
      was
      equivalent
     
     
      to
      kidnaping.
      During
      an
      interview
      on
     
     
      CNN
      he
      stated
      that
      "I
      called
      it
      a
      coup
     
     
      d’état
      because
      it
      is
      a
      modern
      kidnap-
     
     
      ing."
     
    
   
   
    
     
      United
      States
      Secretary
      of
      State,
     
     
      Colin
      Powell
      denied
      the
      accusation
     
     
      that
      the
      removal
      of
      the
      Haitian
      presi-
     
     
      dent
      was
      forced
      by
      the
      US
      military.
     
     
      "We
      [US
      forces]
      did
      not
      force
      him
     
     
      onto
      the
      airplane.
      He
      went
      onto
      the
     
     
      airplane
      willingly
      and
      that’s
      the
     
     
      truth."
      US
      Defense
      Secretary
      Donald
     
     
      Rumsfeld
      echoed
      Powell’s
      com-
     
     
      ments,
      stating
      that
      the
      US
      moved
      only
     
     
      after
      Aristide
      had
      decided
      to
      leave.
     
     
      "Before
      the
      US
      made
      a
      decision...we
     
     
      had,
      I
      believe,
      in
      hand
      a
      letter
      of
      res-
     
     
      ignation
      [from
      Aristide]."
      Those
      clos-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      est
      to
      Aristide
      questioned
      this
      expla-
     
     
      nation.
      One
      former
      personal
      assistant
     
     
      of
      the
      Haitian
      president,
      Laura
      Flynn,
     
     
      said
      that
      she
      believed
      that
      Aristide
     
     
      wouldn’t
      have
      left
      without
      being
     
     
      forced.
      "He
      would
      have
      broadcast
      to
     
     
      the
      nation
      urging
      Haitians
      to
      remain
     
     
      calm."
     
    
   
   
    
     
      George
      W.
      Bush
      issued
      a
      statement
     
    
   
   
    
     
      saying
      that
      he.
      deployed
      Marines
      to
      -
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      region
      "to
      help
      restore
      order
      and
     
     
      stability
      to
      Haiti."
      The
      US,
      as
      well
      as
     
     
      Canada
      and
      France
      had
      refused
      to
     
     
      send
      in
      troops
      earlier
      in
      the
      crisis
      to
     
     
      protect
      Aristide’s
      mandate.
      After
     
     
      weeks
      of
      fighting
      between
      rebels
      and
     
     
      Haiti’s
      police
      forces
      and
      failed
      diplo-
     
     
      matic
      talks
      headed
      by
      Canada,
      the
     
     
      United
      States
      and
      France,
      the
      capital
     
     
      city
      fell
      to
      rebels
      while
      under
      careful
     
     
      watch
      of
      armed
      forces
      personnel
      from
     
     
      Canada
      and
      the
      US.
      Canadian
      soldiers
     
     
      were
      sent
      to
      the
      region
      to
      protect
      the
     
     
      Canadian
      Embassy
      and
      citizens
      in
      the
     
     
      country
      just
      days
      before,
      and
      worked
     
     
      to
      guard
      the
      airport
      throughout
      the
     
     
      securing
      and
      evacuation
      process.
     
     
      After
      attempting
      to
      broker
      a
      peaceful
     
     
      resolution,
      both
      France
      and.
      the
     
     
      United
      States
      were
      pushing
      for
      the
     
     
      Haitian
      president
      to
      step
      down
      in
     
     
      order
      to
      halt
      the
      bloodshed.
      Before
     
     
      Aristide
      stepped
      down,
      it
      was
      expect-
     
     
      ed
      that
      Canada
      would
      also
      join
      with
     
     
      France
      and
      the
      US
      in
      making
      the
     
     
      same
      suggestion
      to
      the
      president,
     
     
      much
      to
      the
      disappointment
      of
      many
     
     
      in
      Haiti
      and
      around
      Caribbean,
      given
     
     
      Canada’s
      diplomatic
      strength
      in
      the
     
     
      region.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Upon
      Aristide’s
      resignation,
      Powell
     
     
      stated
      that
      though
      Aristide
      was
      demo-
     
     
      cratically
      elected,
      he
      was
      not
      neces-
     
     
      sarily
      a
      good
      leader,
      "he
      did
      not
      dem-
     
     
      ocratically
      govern
      or
      govern
      well."
     
     
      However
      many
      are
      concerned
      that
     
     
      this
      type
      of
      intervention
      by
      the
      US
     
     
      could
      set
      a
      dangerous
      precedent
      for
     
     
      similar
      conflicts
      involving
      other
     
     
      elected
      officials
      around
      the
      region
      and
     
    
   
   
    
     
      News:
      Haitian
      President
      Resigns
      as
      Rebels
      Storm
      Capital
      City
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      world.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      For
      their
      part,
      many
      in
      Port-au-Prince
     
     
      seemed
      overjoyed
      to
      have
      the
      military
     
     
      force
      within
      the
      gates
      of
      the
      city.
      "We
     
     
      feel
      free.
      Now
      we
      can
      go
      wherever
     
     
      we
      want."
      said
      Haitian
      Darlene
      Jean-
     
     
      Baptiste.
      Many
      of
      the
      insurgents
     
     
      entering
      the
      city
      were
      former
      mem-
     
     
      bers
      of
      Haiti’s
      armed
      forces
      that
      dis-
     
     
      posed
      president
      Aristide
      in
      1990,
      and
     
     
      that
      he
      disbanded
      shortly
      after
      he
      was
     
     
      returned
      to
      power
      in
      1994,
     
     
      Reportedly,
      some
      of
      the
      rebels
      were
     
     
      also
      convicted
      murderers
      and
      death-
     
     
      squad
      members.
      The
      leaders
      of
      the
     
     
      armed
      uprising
      were
      Guy
      Phillipe,
      a
     
     
      former
      police
      chief
      who
      is
      also
     
     
      accused
      of
      numerous
      violent
      crimes,
     
     
      and
      former
      army
      officer
      Louis-Jodel
     
     
      Champlain.
      At
      a
      press
      conference
      last
     
     
      Tuesday,
      Phillipe
      declared
      himself
      the
     
     
      new
      military
      chief
      of
      Haiti,
      and
     
     
      warned
      interim
      president
      Boniface
     
     
      Alexandre,
      a
      highly
      respected
     
     
      Supreme
      Court
      Justice,
      to
      restore
      the
     
     
      armed
      forces.
      If
      he
      failed
      to
      do
      so,
     
     
      said
      Phillipe,
      "The
      people
      of
      Haiti
     
     
      will
      speak
      to
      him
      the
      way
      they
      spoke
     
     
      to
      Aristide."
      While
      refusing
      to
      relin-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      quish
      command
      of
      the
      city
      and
      lay
      -
     
    
   
   
    
     
      down
      their
      arms,
      as
      demanded
      by
     
     
      officials
      within
      the
      US
      _
      State
     
     
      Department,
      Phillipe
      did
      pledge
      to
     
     
      work
      alongside
      US,
      French
      and
      other
     
     
      UN-authorized
      forces
      in
      Haiti.
      The
     
     
      rebels
      denied
      having
      any
      political
     
     
      aspirations,
      yet
      threatened
      the
      sitting
     
     
      Prime
      Minister
      and
      other
      friends
      of
     
     
      Aristide.
      This
      came
      while
      the
      Prime
     
     
      Minister
      Rt.
      Hon.
      Yvon
      Neptune
     
     
      declared
      a
      state
      of
      emergency
      in
      Port-
     
     
      au-Prince
      and
      US
      forces
      scrambled
      to
     
     
      protect
      loyalists
      of
      the
      former
      presi-
     
     
      dent.
      However,
      by
      Wednesday
      night,
     
     
      Phillipe
      had
      agreed
      to
      order
      his
      "new
     
     
      army"
      to
      lay
      down
      their
      weapons,
      fol-
     
     
      lowing
      an
      increased
      foreign
      military
     
     
      presence
      in
      the
      city.
      When
      asked
      of
     
     
      the
      consequences
      that
      the
      rebels
     
     
      would
      face,
      Champlain
      told
      reporters
     
     
      that
      he
      was
      not
      afraid
      of
      any
      backlash
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      Cadre
      March
      2,
      2004
      page
      5
     
    
   
   
    
     
      #
      9284
      PUY.
      od
      HIDE
     
    
   
   
    
     
      SIORI
      14210
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      stemming
      from
      his
      involvement.
      "I
     
     
      have
      no
      fear
      because
      of
      anything
      I’ve
     
     
      done."
      he
      said.
      "We
      have
      to
      work
     
     
      together."
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Many
      political
      analysts
      are
      concerned
     
     
      that
      restoring
      order
      will
      now
      be
     
     
      increasingly
      difficult
      now,
      especially
     
     
      given
      the
      militant
      influence
      in
      the
     
     
      capital
      region.
      Haiti,
      a
      country
     
     
      plagued
      with
      political
      oppression
      of
     
     
      brutal
      military
      dictators
      throughout
      its
     
     
      200-year
      history,
      was
      in
      the
      process
     
     
      of
      transforming
      into
      a
      more
      demo-
     
     
      cratic
      republic,
      but
      now
      is
      in
      danger
     
     
      of
      returning
      to
      a
      system
      of
      brute
      force
     
     
      and
      intimidation.
      If
      Aristide’s
      claims
     
     
      of
      a
      coup
      d’état
      are
      accurate,
      it
      would
     
     
      be
      the
      33rd
      in
      the
      country’s
      history.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Prime
      Minister
      Paul
      Martin
      said
      that
     
     
      Canada
      would
      play
      a
      "leadership
     
     
      role"
      in
      restoring
      peace
      and
      stability.
     
     
      Last
      weekend
      sixty
      Canadian
      soldiers
     
     
      in
      Haiti,
      along
      with
      forty
      air
      force
     
     
      ground
      personnel
      in
      the
      neighboring
     
     
      Dominican
      Republic
      aided
      the
      evacu-
     
     
      ation
      of
      more
      than
      350
      Canadian
      citi-
     
     
      zens
      out
      of
      Haiti
      by
      the
      time
      commer-
     
     
      cial
      flights
      were
      cleared
      to
      resume
      on
     
     
      Thursday.
      In
      addition
      to
      the
      Canadian
     
     
      troops,
      some
      of
      which
      are
      rumored
      to
     
     
      be
      members
      of
      Canada’s
      elite
      JTF2
     
     
      force,
      and
      100
      Marines
      already-in
      the
     
     
      region
      at
      the
      time
      of
      Aristide’s
      resig-
     
     
      nation,
      France
      pledged
      to
      send
      300
     
     
      soldiers
      and
      gendarmes
      to
      help
      stabi-
     
     
      lize
      the
      situation
      in
      Haiti,
      while
      both
     
     
      Canada
      and
      the
      US
      planned
      to
      send
     
     
      additional
      military
      personnel,
      a
      move
     
     
      that
      will
      increase
      the
      number
      of
     
     
      Canadian
      soldiers
      to
      485.
      Thus
      far
      the
     
     
      Canadian
      contingent
      sent
      to
      the
     
     
      region
      has
      been
      successful
      in
      evacuat-
     
     
      ing
      Canadian
      citizens
      and
      it
      was
     
     
      reported
      that
      Canadian
      troops
      were
     
     
      already
      on
      the
      ground
      and
      protecting
     
     
      the
      airport
      and
      other
      key
      points
      in
      the
     
     
      city
      by
      the
      time
      US
      Marines
      landed
      in
     
     
      Port-au-Prince.