Word: tonton
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...dechoukage, a "rooting out" of Duvalierists. The military and civilian mutinies appear to have been provoked by the barbarism of an attack on worshipers at a Port- au-Prince church, St. Jean Bosco, three Sundays ago. The attack, which left 13 dead and 77 injured, was staged by the Tonton Macoutes, the vicious thugs who terrorized Haiti under the Duvaliers. Under Lieut. General Henri Namphy, leader of the just ousted regime, and particularly Port-au-Prince mayor Franck Romain, the Macoutes have enjoyed a comeback...
...unrest exploded when noncommissioned officers toppled Lieut. General Henri Namphy as Haiti's leader and installed Lieut. General Prosper Avril as President. The coup grew out of grievances that ranged from bad food to military tolerance of the murder of civilians by thugs and members of the Tonton Macoutes, the secret police who terrorized Haitians during the 28-year dynasty begun by Duvalier's father Francois ("Papa Doc") Duvalier...
Sources who spoke on condition of anonymity said the fighting involved army factions and members of the Tonton Macoutes, the dreaded agents that terrorized Haitians during the 29-year dictatorships of the Duvalier family. Details about the fighting were not known...
...obtained endorsements from 120 leading sports figures, including Cycling Champion Jeannie Longo, and appeared at rallies with rock stars like Johnny Hallyday. He even publicized an endorsement from Actor Gregory Peck. Not to be outdone, Mitterrand supporters persuaded Veteran Crooner Charles Trenet to record a ditty called Vas-Y Tonton ("Go to It, Uncle," a play on Mitterrand's nickname, "Tonton"). Though campaign advertising is not permitted on television, the growth of privately owned channels in recent years enabled candidates to saturate the tube with appearances on news and feature shows. Even candidates' wives, who in the past played little...
There was much confusion as to who was behind the violence. Eyewitness reports cited the dreaded Tonton Macoutes, the paramilitary force employed by the Duvaliers and officially disbanded by the Namphy junta, though never disarmed. Last week several well-known henchmen had come out of hiding, and were walking the streets again in broad daylight. "The return of the Tonton Macoutes is total," said a Haitian journalist...