02-29-2004, 04:48 AM
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#14 (permalink)
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Insane
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More tidbits... This time from The New York Times.
Quote:
That past is entwined with American history. United States forces occupied Haiti from 1915 to 1934. They created the modern Haitian Army, dissolved Parliament and imposed martial law in those years. In the 1980's and early 1990's, the United States Central Intelligence Agency had important senior Haitian Army officers and Fraph members on its payroll, according to American officials.
[skipped a bunch]
"There is no such thing as the former Haitian Army," said Mr. Ravix, a bull-necked, barrel-chested man, still bitter about the army's dissolution. "Aristide made a big mistake sending us home with our guns."
If this is indeed "the new Haitian army," as Mr. Ravix says, it represents the revival of a force that has always served Haiti's tiny elite, less than two percent of the people holding at least half the nation's wealth.
The armed rebels are not a large force. They may number as few as 500 trained fighters, American officials believe. It is an open question whether a force that size could seize this sprawling capital. But it has proved capable of creating fear and havoc.
Their assault weapons and crisp camouflage uniforms suggest the rebels have outside support. Mr. Philippe said his force was receiving donations from Haitian exiles in the United States and Canada. In a country where drug money flows freely, government officials have accused the rebels of financing their assault with money from Colombian cocaine cartels.
From the 1980's into the early 1990's, the Haitian Army and its National Intelligence Service — an agency created and financed by the C.I.A. — committed acts of terror and trafficked in cocaine, according to American officials.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/29/in...partner=GOOGLE |
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