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Haiti Revolt Spreads, France Threatens
A rebellion by opponents of Haitiâs embattled president has spread further with a new attack north of the capital. About 50 men attacked a police station in the town of Hinche, killing three people - one of them the police chief. The rebels are now reported to control the town and two major roads leading into the north of the country. France has raised the possibility of an international peace force being sent to Haiti, where the recent wave of unrest has left about 50 people dead. Bwahahaha...Iâm sory, it wasnât a joke? "We have the capacity to intervene and... many friendly countries are ready to do so," Foreign Minister Dominique De Villepin said. Call us when the Charles De Gaul is standing off shore to provide air support for the landing. His comments followed an appeal by President Jean-Bertrand Aristide for the international community to help put down the rebellion which has seen armed opponents take over a string of towns in the north. HHHEEEELLLLLPPPPP!!!!!!! Neighbouring Dominican Republic has expressed alarm about the unrest, warning it could not cope on its own if there were a mass exodus of Haitians. And expresing alarm is about all they can do. On Monday it closed its 360km border with French-speaking Haiti. Which explains the French interest. In an attempt to restore calm in the central town of Hinche, the police chief in the capital Port-au-Prince, about 130 km to the south-west, said reinforcements were being sent. But reports from the town said local police had been forced out and were re-grouping 55km to the south. Can they be much farther away and still be in Hati? On Monday, rebels escorted a Red Cross convoy carrying much-needed supplies including medical goods to Gonaives, where the unrest began on 5 February. To keep the police and government supporters from retaking Gonaives, the rebels have pushed shipping containers blocking the highway leading to the town. Although the rebels are thought to control about 11 towns and cities, their number is also thought to be less than that of Haitiâs 5,000 police force. However they have been joined by exiled paramilitary leaders and police. Who came in from the Dominican Republic before they closed the door. "Our fight is for a better country. We are fighting for the presidency, weâre fighting for the people, " said Guy Philippe, a former police chief who is accused of trying to organise a coup in 2002. "We are fighting for a bigger piece of the action, such as it is." Posted by: Steve 2004-02-17 |
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