Haiti in the News
Archive: to 2/04

Who’s next in Haiti?  2/29/04 AP

President Aristide flees Haiti, seeks asylum  2/29/04 Miami Herald

Veterans of Past Murderous Campaigns Are Leading Haiti's New Rebellion  2/29/04 NYT

Aristide loyalists go on looting rampage  2/28/04 AP

Haiti 2004: The Great Irony - In the Country's Bicentennial Year, another US-Backed Coup  2/28/04 NarcoNews

Kerry says U.S. fueled conflict in Haiti  2/27/04 Miami Herald

Bush accused of supporting Haitian rebels  2/27/04 UPI: "Activists at a Friday press briefing outlined what they believe to be a well-crafted plan by the Bush administration to overthrow Aristide. Former Haitian military members, drug dealers and militants were armed and trained in the Dominican Republic thanks to military support from the United States. They have now crossed the border into Haiti, activists said. The rebel insurrection that erupted three weeks ago has left roughly 80 people dead, nearly half of whom were police officers. U.S.-supported coups in Latin America and Africa during the Cold War were referenced by many as models for what they perceive to be the Bush administration's current strategy in Haiti."

Economic Misery Provoked Bloodshed in Haiti  2/26/04 Black America Web

Washington's Hand Against Democracy and for Extra-Constitutional Regime Change in Haiti  2/26/04 Black Commentator: "It is well documented (See the COHA report referenced below) that the so-called Haitian opposition has no real program, platform or constituency, other than less than 4% of the population in Haiti and the stated desire to overthrow Aristide and bring back the old Haitian army."

Aristide begs for outside help as rebels tighten noose  2/26/04 Independent, UK

Wyclef Jean Voices Support For Haitian Rebels  2/26/04 MTV

HAITI: ON THE BRINK  2/26/04 PBS: "REP. CHARLES RANGEL: I'm now convinced after listening to Mr. Foley and Mr. Powell that the United States are on the side of the opposition and they want President Aristide either to leave by a jet or leave in a body bag and I'm telling you, if I was in the opposition, I would say we won."

Anarchy sweeps Haiti's capital as Aristide faces end  2/26/04 Telegraph, UK

Sharpton prepares for Haiti  2/25/04 Black World Today: "During a meeting to support community activists in Harlem Tuesday evening, the Rev. Al Sharpton announced that he would be going to Haiti next Wednesday to help negotiate a peace agreement between the opposition and the government of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide."

Haiti's Lawyer: U.S. Is Arming Anti-Aristide Paramilitaries  2/25/04 Democracy Now: ""There's enough indications from our point of view, at least from my point of view, that the United States certainly knew what was coming about two weeks before this military operation started," Kurzban said. "The United States made contingency plans for Guantanamo." "

Activists, politicians question U.S. hand in Haiti crisis  2/25/04 Final Call

Bush Rebuffs Aristide, Warns Haitians  2/25/04 Reuters

Black nation under siege needs us now  2/25/04 SF Bay View: Haiti viewed by an insider

U.S. Reluctant to Defend Democracy at its Doorstep  2/24/04 Black America Web: by Dewayne Wickham

U.S.-led diplomatic mission presents peace plan to Haitian leaders who show no signs of compromise  2/21/04 AP

Haitian Prez Accepts Peace Plan  2/21/04 CBS

Haiti Action  2/21/04 HaitiAction.net

Protesters in Miami demand that Aristide step down  2/21/04 Miami Herald: "The protest at Miami's Bayfront Park was coalition of Haitian, Venezuelan and Cuban groups that also demanded the ouster of Fidel Castro and President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. Several speakers called Aristide, Castro and Chavez murderers and terrorists, their speeches peppered with comparisons to Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein. "Chavez must go. Aristide must go. And Castro must go," Haitian-born organizer Rubens Eliatus told the media as a crowd cheered."

Faces from Haiti's Bloody Past Lead Revolt  2/21/04 Reuters: "GONAIVES, Haiti - His gunmen killed 3,000 people when a military junta ruled Haiti with an iron fist. Now, at the head of a rebellion aiming to unseat President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, former death squad leader Louis Jodel Chamblain speaks of democracy and constitutions."

Rising Stakes In Haiti as Ex-Dictator's Thugs Take Over Opposition  2/20/04 AntiWar: "The crisis – and the possibility of a major outflow of boat people desperate to reach U.S. shores – has forced the Bush administration to take a more active role in the diplomatic discussions about how to deal with the crisis than it had previously been willing to consider."

Haiti still struggling  2/20/04 Barbados Advocate

US Goal: Declare Haiti a Failed State  2/19/04 Black Commentator: "The Bush administration is preparing to declare Haiti a “failed state,” so that Washington can step in to put the pieces back together as it chooses. Creating the conditions for such a declaration has been the U.S. objective since George Bush came to power. For three years Washington and the European Union have imposed an aid embargo on Haiti, squeezing the hemisphere’s poorest nation until it screamed – and then squeezing harder."

Five Questions About Haiti and the Coup Attempt - Echoes of Venezuela 2002 Are Heard Across the Caribbean  2/19/04 NarcoNews

U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters calls for support of Aristide; denounces Duvalier supporter Andre Apaid  2/19/04 Radio Progreso

Congresswoman Maxine Waters warns of bloodbath in Haiti  2/19/04 SF Bay View

No coup in Haiti! Tell Secretary of State Colin Powell to stop backing gangs trying to overthrow President Aristide  2/19/04 SF Bay View

Fear, Panic as Dark New Force Enters Haiti Revolt  2/18/04 Reuters

Town falls as Haitian rebellion spreads  2/18/04 Sydney Morning Herald: "Armed rebels have seized the central town of Hinche and killed the district police chief as an uprising against the embattled President, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, spread to new areas of Haiti. Two other men also died, while Aristide loyalists reportedly killed two anti-government supporters in the port town of St Marc, pushing the death toll since February 5, when rebels seized the northern city of Gonaives, to almost 60."

Aristide's slumland army of enforcers prepares to defend 'people's revolution'  2/17/04 Independent, UK: "The likeness of his hero, Che Guevara, is plastered all over the territory he controls in Cité Soleil, Haiti's largest slum."

Rep. Maxine Waters Charges U.S. Is Encouraging A Coup in Haiti  2/16/04 Democracy Now, Pacifica: "We speak with Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) about what role the U.S. is playing in the current events in the country. In Haiti, anti-government gangs and militias are working with opposition groups and former army officers in an effort to overthrow the government of Jean Bertrand Aristide. There is concern that Washington is once again working behind the scenes to foment a coup."

Haiti at brink again - U.S. owes help By Randall Robinson  2/16/04 Final Call

Beloved Haiti - A (Counter) Revolutionary Bicentennial  2/15/04 Counterpunch: "The ridiculous names like Gonaives Resistance Front that these right-wing paramilitaries have assigned themselves are already being echoed in the capitalist press, which also refers to them, idiotically, as "rebels," and to their activities as the activities of "crowds." A contact I spoke with hours ago who returned from Port-au-Prince today told me that the real crowds are those who are fleeing these fascist coup operations in the North and the massive PRO-Aristide demonstrations in the capital. This contact said the situation here is very similar in many respects to the US-supported attempt to overthrow another democratically elected government, that of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela."

Media vs. Reality in Haiti  2/13/04 Infoshop: "Judging by the corporate media’s recent coverage of the crisis in Haiti, one might be led to believe that they are “aiding and abetting” an attempted coup d’etat aimed at the democratically elected Jean Bertand Aristide. On a daily basis, mainstream international media is churning out stories provided mainly by the Associated Press and Reuters that have little basis in fact."

Some Democrats Urge Bush Administration to Take Stronger Action on Haiti  2/11/04 VOA: "Congresswoman Barbara Lee, who co-chairs the Haiti Task Force in the Black Caucus, which represents African-American lawmakers in Congress, says the administration "has not been on the side of democracy in Haiti. As a result of their lack of support for a democratically elected president, I believe and many believe that they are aiding and abetting the violence in Haiti." "

Uprising Against Aristide Spreads in Haiti  2/9/04 AP

Haitian militants extend rampage  2/9/04 Toronto Star

Police ambushed in Haiti uprising - Radio reports 14 officers killed Rebel forces  2/8/04 Reuters: "Until last year, Gonaives was seen as firmly in the pro-Aristide camp, terrorized by a pro-government militia called the Cannibal Army and headed by Amiot Metayer. But Metayer's brother, Buter Metayer, who is leading the revolt, turned his gunmen against Aristide after blaming the embattled president for Amiot Metayer's death last September in a gangland-style murder."

Haiti militants vow to seize more cities  2/8/04 Sunday Herald, Scotland: "The Gonaives Resistance Front was once allied with Aristide but turned against him last year, accusing his government of assassinating its leader, Amiot Metayer, to prevent him from releasing damaging information about Aristide. The government denies involvement."

Haiti needs intervention  1/10/04 Montreal Gazette

CBC draws fire for Haiti support  1/7/04 The Hill

CARICOM MOVES TO HELP END POLITICAL UNREST IN HAITI  1/5/04 Caricom

Haiti: a call for global action  1/1/04 Black Commentator: by Randall Robinson - "Between 1791 and 1804, hundreds of thousands of Africans enslaved in Haiti ignored the rivers, forests, precipices, swamps, mountains, gorges, bloodhounds, rifles, cannon, and whips that separated them and united to launch a massive, brilliantly executed, spectacular war of liberation that the armies of Spain, England, and France (with the help of the United States) all fought desperately – and failed absolutely – to crush. The Haitian Revolution was no “lucky break” involving “a few unruly slaves.” This was no “plantation uprising.” … "“Most have assumed that (Haiti’s) slaves had no military experience prior to the revolution,” John K. Thornton explains in African Soldiers in the Haitian Revolution. “Many assume that they rose from agricultural labour to military prowess in an amazingly short time…. However, it is probably a mistake to see the slaves of St. Domingue as simply agricultural workers, like the peasants of Europe… …A majority of St. Domingue’s slaves, especially those who fought steadily in the revolution, were born in Africa… …In fact, a great many… …had served in African armies prior to their enslavement and arrival in Haiti."

Propaganda War Intensifies Against Haiti  10/30/03 Black Commentator: "Old-timers in the Haitian police have also stated that NCHR, which was deeply engaged in Haiti at the time, never complained when it was revealed in February 1999 that the police-training program, offered by the US Justice Department’s International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP), was being used by the CIA to secretly recruit from within the ranks of the Haitian police. In an article published in the respected Washington journal Legal Times and entitled “Separating Cops, Spies”, author Sam Skolnik exposed the CIA’s hidden agenda in Haiti’s new police training program. The article takes us a long way towards explaining the less than enthusiastic response of the Haitian government towards continuing the program. Since then, Haiti’s cops have had to go it on their own to build a credible force capable of maintaining law and order while under constant attack from organizations such as NCHR."

Diplomats puzzled by claim migrants use Haiti to enter U.S.  4/25/03 Miami Herald: "U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, D-Miami, who is on the House Homeland Security Committee, said he has not heard any evidence, testimony or briefing from the CIA or FBI indicating Haiti harbors or promotes terrorist groups or activities. ''This is outright discrimination and racism by this Bush administration. There is justice in America for everybody but Haitians,'' Meek said."

Is the US funding Haitian Contras?  4/3/03 Black Commentator: "Reich's visit was especially ominous as it coincided with reports from the Haitian police that uniformed soldiers of Haiti's abolished army had begun regular armed incursions into the Central Plateau region of the country from the Dominican Republic. A March 17, 2003 article in the Miami Herald reported, "In December, men wearing uniforms and carrying guns stopped a car with doctors and Washington-based filmmaker David Murdock. 'If our driver had kept going through it, who knows if they would have opened fire,' he said last week. He said he felt afraid for Haitians who have to travel that road regularly. Murdock said the men held him and others at gunpoint, lecturing them on how they would overthrow Aristide." Several policemen in Haiti's police force have recently referred to the current situation in the area as "the beginning of civil war in Haiti." And now Otto Reich was in Haiti."

Haitians detained at sea being returned  11/5/02 Miami Herald: while Cubans get to stay.

Bush, McBride clash over Haitians  11/1/02 Miami Herald: "Just one day after U.S. Rep. Carrie Meek, D-Miami, confronted Bush in person to demand that he call his brother to seek the release of the 235 Haitians who swam to shore Tuesday on the Rickenbacker Causeway, McBride called the federal policy "racist.''

Haitians Detained After Landing in Florida; Should They Be Allowed To Stay?  10/30/02 MSNBC: "Unlike Cubans who reach dry land, though, Haitian immigrants usually are denied asylum in the United States and sent back to their homeland. The Bush administration changed its detention policy on Haitian refugees in December to discourage a feared mass exodus. Immigration attorneys sued the government in March, saying the new policy of detention was racially biased. "It's very sad to see the way human beings who are fleeing their country for a better way of life are treated," said North Miami Mayor Joe Celestin, a Haitian American who went to the scene and spoke to some of the migrants. "The Cubans that were on the same boat will be released. The Haitians will probably be deported. It's a double standard."

The Haitian Revolution And The Irritated Genie  10/15/02 Black World Today: "In The Irritated Genie, Dr. Carruthers points out that the Haitian Revolution “is perhaps the most underemphasized wars in what is called modern history.” The fact that many African people are inspired “by the Russian, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Cuban revolutions than the one truly Black revolution in modern history” is the reason all African people need to read this book. Many people will probably be quick to ask the question, “If the Haitian Revolution was so great, why is Haiti in the shape it is today?” Dr. Carruthers answers this question in the following manner: “For three centuries the crime of being Black was punished by torture, rape, and murder. Dessalines erased that crime by executing all of those he would find who had committed the atrocities— the true criminals. That is why the Haitian personality is so strong today even though most of the leaders sold them down the river after the fall of Dessalines.”

Powell Toes Hard Line on Haiti  2/8/02 LA Times: Powell steps in on the side of the Catholic French oriented Haitian rich who consistently deprecate African traditions. His talk of fighting narcoterrorism is laughable given US support for notorious Haitian, Caribbean, and South American traffickers in the past.

Haiti in the News
Archive: to 2/04

Contacting AfroCubaWeb

Copyright © 1997 AfroCubaWeb, S.A.

Haiti in the News Archive: to 2/04

Contacting AfroCubaWeb

Copyright © 1997 AfroCubaWeb, S.A.

Haiti in the News
Archive: to 2/04