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That stark announcement crushed the last hope that Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, could move easily toward democracy. Since the overthrow of Jean-Claude ("Baby Doc") Duvalier in February 1986, the nation has been ruled by an army-dominated provisional government headed by Lieut. General Henri Namphy. The 22 months of military rule, though, have been a period of unrest, as the country stood on the brink of anarchy. In some areas law and order have virtually broken down, and an estimated 500 people have been killed in random and often gruesome violence. At the same time...
When Jean-Claude ("Baby Doc") Duvalier fled Haiti early last year, jubilant crowds danced in the streets and chants of "Liberty!" filled the air. Duvalier's departure ended 28 years of totalitarian rule and brought hope to Haitians that the military, which helped bring down the dictator, would cooperate in rebuilding their impoverished country. Today, however, despair and confusion once again grip Haiti. The three-man provisional government headed by Lieut. General Henri Namphy is worse than ineffectual; the elections scheduled for next month threaten to turn into a sham; and the forces of order, as in Duvalier's days...
...novel The Comedians, Graham Greene described a similar time in Haiti: "No one dared move on the roads at night; it was the hour when only the zombies worked, or else the Tonton Macoutes." That infamous paramilitary force of Dr. Francois (Papa Doc") Duvalier and his son Baby Doc was disbanded by decree after Jean-Claude fell from power last year, but in spite of repeated promises, it was never disarmed. The provisional government has prosecuted only a few of the most notorious thugs. "It isn't easy to get rid of something as basic as the Macoutes," says Aubelin...
Those class lines, however, are not so easy to cross. Pacot, a run-down but still chic neighborhood, is three miles and another world away from La Saline's slums. In a corner here and there, the brittle, corrupt surface of Papa Doc's Haiti still glitters. Guard dogs run along the tops of security walls, and chauffeured Mercedes Benz slip in and out of driveways leading to Gothic gingerbread houses...
...violent outbursts that left at least 20 people dead and dozens of others wounded. Namphy, meanwhile, has spent recent weeks drumming up support in the countryside. He told one group of villagers that "the Eternal" had sent him. For Haitians who recalled the claim by Duvalier's father "Papa Doc" that he ruled by divine right, Namphy's pronouncement sounded disturbingly familiar...