U.S.-Backed Opposition Parties Launch Armed Rebellion in Attempt to Oust Haitian President

Interview with Kim Ives, Haiti Progres editor, conducted by Scott Harris

Escalating violence between opponents and supporters of Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide has seen armed rebel groups take over Haiti's fourth largest city, Gonaives, and conflicts in nearly a dozen other cities and towns. The rebellion by former soldiers and those unhappy with the Aristide government, comes after opposition groups refused to enter into negotiations with the president over future legislative elections. These groups demand that Aristide resign two years before his term in office expires.

Jean-Bertrand Aristide was elected president of Haiti in 1990 after decades of brutal dictatorship under the U.S. backed Duvalier family. But a military coup cut short Aristide's presidency in 1991 after just seven months in office. The former Catholic priest who fled into exile was returned to power in 1994 after a combined U.S.-U.N. military force ousted the coup makers. Aristide's term ended the following year, and he was re-elected president in 2000.

Tensions rose in Haiti after opposition parties, backed by the U.S., charged that the May 2000 legislative election was corrupted by fraud. Washington's decision to then block the flow of millions of dollars in economic aid, exacerbated an already dire situation for citizens in the Western hemisphere's poorest nation. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Kim Ives, an editor with the newspaper Haiti Progres, who had just returned from a visit to Haiti. Ives takes a look at the chaotic situation there and examines the makeup of Haiti's opposition groups.

Contact Haiti Progres by calling (718) 434-8100 or visit their website at www.haitiprogres.com

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