Haitian History - The Aristide Years (1991-2004)
Throughout the 1990s the international community tried to establish
democracy in Haiti. The country's first elected chief executive,
Jean-Bertrand Aristide, a leftist Roman Catholic priest who seemed to
promise a new era in Haiti, took office in Feb. 1991. The military, however,
took control in a coup nine months later. A UN peacekeeping force, led by
the U.S.-Operation Uphold Democracy-arrived in 1994. Aristide was restored
to office and René Preval became his successor in 1996 elections. U.S.
soldiers and UN peacekeepers left in 2000. Haiti's government, however,
remained ineffectual and its economy was in ruins. With widespread
unemployment, Haiti produces a steady flow of refugees to the U.S.
In 2000, former president Aristide was reelected president in elections boycotted by the opposition and questioned by many foreign observers. The U.S. and other countries threatened Haiti, already one of the Western hemisphere's poorest countries, with sanctions unless democratic procedures are strengthened. Haiti has the highest rates of AIDS, malnutrition, and infant mortality in the region. Aristide, once a charismatic champion of democracy, grew more authoritarian and seemed incapable of improving the lot of his people.
Violent protests rocked the country in Jan. 2004, the month
of Haiti's bicentennial, with protestors demanding Aristide resign. By
February, a full-blown armed revolt was underway, and Aristide's hold on
power continued to slip. The protests, groups of armed rebels, and French
and American pressure led to the ousting of Aristide on Feb. 29. Thereafter
a U.S.-led international force of 2,300 entered the chaos-engulfed country
to restore order, and an interim government took over.
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