1991 Haitian coup d'état
Encyclopedia
The 1991 Haitian coup d'état took place on 29 September 1991 when President Jean-Bertrand Aristide
, elected 8 months earlier in the Haitian general election, 1990–1991, was deposed by the Haitian army. The coup was led by Army General Raoul Cédras
, Army Chief of Staff Phillipe Biamby and Chief of the National Police, Michel François
. Aristide was sent into exile, his life only saved by the intervention of US, French and Venezuelan diplomats.
Emmanuel Constant
later reported that US Central Intelligence Agency
agents were present with Cedras at the army headquarters during the coup, although the CIA denied prior knowledge. The CIA "paid key members of the coup regime forces, identified as drug traffickers, for information from the mid-1980s at least until the coup." Cédras and François had received military training in the United States.
Aristide's actions against drug smuggling may have contributed to his overthrow. After the coup (led by Raoul Cédras
), members of the new coup regime, notably Chief of National Police Michel François
, were accused of drug smuggling at a much greater rate. A 1992 US State Department report noted that Aristide was "planning new policies and institutions to combat narcotics trafficking, [and] his ouster...crippled narcotics control efforts in Haiti." An internal 1993 US Congress memo stated that "all those jailed for drug-trafficking have been released and...Michel Francois has personally supervised the landing of planes carrying drugs and weapons." The US later indicted François but was unable to secure his extradition from Honduras.
A coup attempt against Aristide had taken place on 6 January, even before his inauguration, when Roger Lafontant
, a Tonton Macoute
leader under Duvalier, seized the provisional President Ertha Pascal-Trouillot
and declared himself President. After large numbers of Aristide supporters filled the streets in protest and Lafontant attempted to declare martial law, but the Army crushed the incipient coup.
The coup was condemned by both the United Nations General Assembly
and the Organization of American States
in October 1991, and throughout the coup regime's existence the only state to recognise the regime was Vatican City
. The 31 July 1994 United Nations Security Council Resolution 940
authorised a United States-led multinational force under unified command and control to restore Aristide to office, under Operation Uphold Democracy
.
Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide is a Haitian former Catholic priest and politician who served as Haiti's first democratically elected president. A proponent of liberation theology, Aristide was appointed to a parish in Port-au-Prince in 1982 after completing his studies...
, elected 8 months earlier in the Haitian general election, 1990–1991, was deposed by the Haitian army. The coup was led by Army General Raoul Cédras
Raoul Cédras
Raoul Cédras is a former military officer, and was de facto ruler of Haiti from 1991 to 1994.-Background:Cédras was educated in the United States and was a member of the US-trained Leopard Corps...
, Army Chief of Staff Phillipe Biamby and Chief of the National Police, Michel François
Michel François
Joseph-Michel François was a colonel in the Haitian army. As Haiti Chief of National Police he participated in the 1991 Haitian coup d'état, which overthrew Haiti's elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide. The Haitian Presidential candidate Michel "Sweet Mickey" Martelly is known to have...
. Aristide was sent into exile, his life only saved by the intervention of US, French and Venezuelan diplomats.
Emmanuel Constant
Emmanuel Constant
Emmanuel Constant is the founder of FRAPH, a Haitian death squad organized in mid-1993 to terrorize supporters of exiled president Jean-Bertrand Aristide....
later reported that US Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
agents were present with Cedras at the army headquarters during the coup, although the CIA denied prior knowledge. The CIA "paid key members of the coup regime forces, identified as drug traffickers, for information from the mid-1980s at least until the coup." Cédras and François had received military training in the United States.
Aristide's actions against drug smuggling may have contributed to his overthrow. After the coup (led by Raoul Cédras
Raoul Cédras
Raoul Cédras is a former military officer, and was de facto ruler of Haiti from 1991 to 1994.-Background:Cédras was educated in the United States and was a member of the US-trained Leopard Corps...
), members of the new coup regime, notably Chief of National Police Michel François
Michel François
Joseph-Michel François was a colonel in the Haitian army. As Haiti Chief of National Police he participated in the 1991 Haitian coup d'état, which overthrew Haiti's elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide. The Haitian Presidential candidate Michel "Sweet Mickey" Martelly is known to have...
, were accused of drug smuggling at a much greater rate. A 1992 US State Department report noted that Aristide was "planning new policies and institutions to combat narcotics trafficking, [and] his ouster...crippled narcotics control efforts in Haiti." An internal 1993 US Congress memo stated that "all those jailed for drug-trafficking have been released and...Michel Francois has personally supervised the landing of planes carrying drugs and weapons." The US later indicted François but was unable to secure his extradition from Honduras.
A coup attempt against Aristide had taken place on 6 January, even before his inauguration, when Roger Lafontant
Roger Lafontant
Roger Lafontant is the former leader of the Tonton Macoutes and the former Minister of dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier. He was the leader of an attempted coup d'état on January 1991, in Haiti, an effort which ultimately lead to his death....
, a Tonton Macoute
Tonton Macoute
Tonton Macoutes was a Haitian paramilitary force created in 1959 by President François 'Papa Doc' Duvalier. In 1970, the militia was officially renamed the Milice de Volontaires de la Sécurité Nationale .Haitians called this force the “Tonton Macoutes,” after the Haitian Creole mythological...
leader under Duvalier, seized the provisional President Ertha Pascal-Trouillot
Ertha Pascal-Trouillot
Ertha Pascal-Trouillot was the provisional President of Haiti from 1990 through 1991. She was the first woman in Haitian history to hold that office.-Background:...
and declared himself President. After large numbers of Aristide supporters filled the streets in protest and Lafontant attempted to declare martial law, but the Army crushed the incipient coup.
The coup was condemned by both the United Nations General Assembly
United Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
and the Organization of American States
Organization of American States
The Organization of American States is a regional international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States...
in October 1991, and throughout the coup regime's existence the only state to recognise the regime was Vatican City
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
. The 31 July 1994 United Nations Security Council Resolution 940
United Nations Security Council Resolution 940
United Nations Security Council Resolution 940, adopted on July 31, 1994, after recalling resolutions 841 , 861 , 862 , 867 , 873 , 875 , 905 , 917 and 933 , the Council affirmed the goal of the international community to restore democracy in Haiti and authorised a United States-led multinational...
authorised a United States-led multinational force under unified command and control to restore Aristide to office, under Operation Uphold Democracy
Operation Uphold Democracy
Operation Uphold Democracy was an intervention designed to remove the military regime installed by the 1991 Haitian coup d'état that overthrew the elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide...
.