19915: (Chamberlain) Situation in Les Cayes (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>

Chaos reigns in Haiti's wild and leaderless south-west

By JOSEPH FRAZIER



LES CAYES, March 5 (AP) -- A week after the sudden departure of Haiti’s
ousted president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the presence of United States
marines on the streets of Port-au-Prince has brought a degree of stability
to the capital.

US troops yesterday began fanning out across the country, reaching the
rebel strongholds of Cap-Haitien and Gonaives.

But while the feared bloodshed in these cities appears to have been
averted, other parts of the country remain on the brink of chaos.

In the remote south-western city of Les Cayes, no US marines are patrolling
and few people have a clear idea of who is in charge.

Instead, young and undisciplined thugs shove shotguns or crude home-made
pistols through car windows at roadblocks. Men who imply they were a part
of the rebel force that hastened Mr Aristide’s departure point M-1 rifles
in drivers’ faces and demand to know their business.

Outside the town of Aquin, just east of Les Cayes, stumbling drunks with
shotguns and pistols demand to search bags in a car.

In the days after Mr Aristide’s departure, the city became a battleground
in the power struggle between rebels and Aristide loyalists. The two sides
clashed on the streets, burning houses and looting businesses.

The lawlessness abated when three looters were shot dead and a fourth was
given a severe beating. "Since then things have been relatively calm," said
a hotel owner, Gérard Charlvire.

Les Cayes is about 120 miles and several bumpy hours from Port-au-Prince
and these days visitors are few. Most of the police have fled. The
remaining few have been joined by former soldiers from the long-disbanded
Haitian army. The Resistance Front, an anti-Aristide citizens’ committee,
also has a presence in the city.

"We still haven’t received orders from Port-au-Prince about what to do with
the ex-soldiers," said the police inspector, Yvon Chery. "For now we just
share the building, we go our own ways. The civilians don’t bother us much
for now but eventually we will ask them to hand over their guns."

Meanwhile, the lack of security has crippled Les Cayes. Banks are closed,
their security guards having been stripped of weapons by Aristide
supporters. Petrol stations open only briefly and sell only small amounts.
Most businesses remain closed, afraid to take in money with nowhere secure
to deposit it.

"Do you think foreign troops will come give us enough security so banks and
businesses can open?" asked a local reporter, Lazar Pierre Onald.

"The national police were told from the capital that they had no authority
over the pro-Aristide people," Onald said. "Most gave up and left town."

Eventually, Onald said, the Resistance Front attacked and Aristide
loyalists retreated.

"Nobody has seen them since," he said.

The worst problems now are not in the city but in the towns to which they
fled, he said.