Word: tonton
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...Haitians who endured the 28-year rule of the Duvalier dynasty, it was a vivid replay of an old nightmare. A sudden police fusillade two weeks ago outside Port-au-Prince's Fort Dimanche, once a prison and torture center of the feared Tonton Macoute, killed eight marchers protesting Duvalier-era atrocities and wounded 20. The violence sparked demands for the resignation of the National Council of Government that has ruled since President-for-Life Jean-Claude ("Baby Doc") Duvalier fled in February. Last week the military- backed junta, which has been criticized for its plodding efforts at reform, took...
...Namphy, the presiding member of the National Council of Government, moved swiftly to defuse the tide of criticism. He summarily abolished the National Assembly, a body that had served largely to rubber-stamp Duvalier policies. Namphy also disbanded the uniformed branch of the despised Duvalier secret police corps, the Tonton Macoutes...
...quickly the joyful atmosphere turned ugly as roving mobs tracked down Duvalier's henchmen. When one militiaman was spotted, the frenzied crowd tore off his uniform. Protesters throughout the capital called for "death to the Tonton Macoutes," the secret police that had protected the Duvalier family for 28 years. Terrified by the mob's fury, they tried to hide inside their barracks. A reporter claimed to have seen one Tonton Macoute, cornered by an angry crowd, shoot himself in the head. At week's end as many as 75 people reportedly had been killed...
...enforce his rule, Duvalier created the thuggish Tonton Macoutes, Creole for bogeymen. Swaggering through the streets, they terrorized the population, extorted money and tortured and killed untold numbers. In January 1971, Papa Doc decreed that his tubby son Jean-Claude, 19, would succeed him in the presidency. Haitians were called to the polls to ratify the succession of the ) moon-faced playboy, whose interests seemed to revolve around women and fast cars. According to government figures, Baby Doc won the plebiscite handily...
...potential sites of refuge dwindled, Jean-Claude moved to break a growing protest by some 150 leading store owners in Port-au-Prince. Roving bands of Tonton Macoutes wrote down the addresses of shuttered businesses and rousted proprietors from their homes. The strong-arm tactic worked. Shop doors swung open gradually, and by Thursday the city had resumed commercial activity...