HAITIAN REBELS ALIGN WITH EXILED DICTATORS' ASSOCIATES
16 February 2004

As pressure increases for Aristide to resolve the crisis, demonstrators marched in Port-au-Prince on Sunday. Due to past military dictatorships, Haiti has no military, and only 3,500 to 5,000 police officers, limiting the government's ability to maintain security. Rebels attacked another town today, killing the police commissioner. New reports suggest the rebels occupying Gonaives have "aligned with exiled figures associated with a past coup attempt and Haiti's last military dictatorship", figures referred to by some as leaders of "notorious death squads". [For more: AJC]

President Aristide told ABC News he would like to resolve the crisis through "dialogue, negotiations, elections". During most of the crisis, opposition leaders have refused to negotiate with Aristide, who says they are trying to undermine democracy in Haiti, still the poorest country in the Americas. This year was supposed to be joyous, the bicentennial celebration of Haiti's independence, the result of the only successful slave uprising.

Critics claim Aristide is corrupt and ineffective, and that Haiti's democratic future depends on his resignation, but opposition acts to obstruct the political process and undermine the peaceful rule of law have raised doubts about their devotion to the electoral process itself. Some have openly said that though the opposition is comprised of various political factions, some formerly Aristide supporters, a clique of exiles was plotting a violent revolt in order to restore members of the former military junta to power.

Aristide himself now acknowledges his country may be sliding into civil war. Washington has said it will not intervene to protect the government. [s]