Haitian Coup Attempt Thwarted

27/05/2001| IslamWeb

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) - A gang of gunmen seized Haiti's National Palace in a coup attempt Monday, killing four people before police retook the building. Three others, including one of the attackers, died as violence spread.
Government supporters armed with machetes and sticks struck back by burning the homes and offices of opposition leaders around the country.
President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and his wife were unharmed in their home in Tabarre, about three miles from the palace, said National Palace spokesman Jacques Maurice. Aristide rarely stays at the palace, which serves as the presidential office and official residence.
Monday's violence prompted the U.S. Embassy to close its doors and urge Americans in Haiti to stay at home. Airlines canceled flights to the impoverished Caribbean nation.
Since Aristide's Lavalas Family party swept disputed parliamentary and local elections in May 2000, Haiti has been mired in unrest but Monday's attack was by far the most violent.
Aristide was first elected president in 1990 and stayed in power only eight months before the army ousted him in a coup that began Sept. 30, 1991. He was restored to power in 1994 by U.S. troops, but a term limit forced him to step down in 1996 and he was replaced by his protege, Rene Preval. Aristide began his second term in February.
The identity of the attackers wasn't immediately clear. Oriel said they dressed in the khaki uniform of Haiti's former army, which Aristide disbanded after he returned to power in 1994.
Former soldiers have held several demonstrations against Aristide this year, calling for the re-establishment of the 7,500-strong army.
Haiti's problems have been mounting since the 2000 elections. The opposition called the balloting fraudulent and foreign donors refused to release hundreds of millions of dollars in aid until results are revised.
There has also been mounting grass-roots opposition to Aristide within his party. Protesters have accused Aristide of failing to deliver on promises of basic services, such as sanitation and electricity.