a1699: More on Avril Prosper (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

FROM: Kevin Pina    <kpinbox@hotmail.com>

Good lord folks, do your research on the internet while it is still a free
and open medium. It probably will not be much longer if certain forces have
their way. Enjoy and rejoice in your intellectual freedoms while they last!!

kp


Excerpted from: http://www.saxakali.com/caribbean/benari.htm


An opposition to Duvalier emerged during the 1970s and gathered momentum in
the 1980s. After the departure of Jean-Claude Duvalier in 1986, the Conseil
National de Gouvernement (CNG) was formed, headed by Lt. Gen. Henry Namphy,
and three other Duvalierists military officers. The Haitian masses reacted
with rejoice to the end of the Duvalier regime, but soon after realized that
it was Duvalierism without Duvalier. The CNG had abandoned its reformist
facade and moved sharply into the right. The military-led government relied
on the Duvalier' army to pursue intimidation, violence, and assassination of
political leaders, trade union activists, and organized peasant cooperatives
(Dupuy, 1997). Namphy was overthrown by a coup d'etat on September 1988. He
was replaced by Gen. Prosper Avril, a former Duvalier military officer. To
remain in power, Avril had to buy loyalty from the public employees, the
soldiers of the Presidential Guard, and the business elite. The result of
his actions brought to a deficit of the government budget by US$60 million
in one year. His regime featured the same characteristics of the former
government, saying, same kind of constant human rights violations. The
opposition had launched a call for unity against dictatorship, and different
organizations formed alliances, joined their forces and called for the
unconditional departure of Avril. It brought Avril to resign as president
and to leave Haiti on March 1990. His fall led to the formation of an
interim civilian government and to democratic elections under the
supervision of the United Nations in November 1990.

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