Haiti rebels declare independence and Americans leave

[DuctapeFatwa]

A rag-tag band of rebels who have seized more than a dozen towns in northern Haiti yesterday declared themselves an independent country and named a government and president.

Some 20,000 people watched in the main square of the city as rebel leader, Buter Metayer, arrived for a rally, after the insurgents named him their president.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1152342,00.html

[sweetheart]

1. the article mentions the US as even remotely credible

When in fact, the USA is behind the horror of poverty and broken government in haiti. Cuba is not behind it.

Hmmm... well, when the US is involved the other nation is destroyed, its people plunged in to poverty for centuries never to recover.

That sounds like a good contrarian argument to always come down against the USA across the board, but to whisper sweet nothings in public so the barbarians stay in their own self-created prison.

[brainshrub]

10. How is the US behind the horror?

I would like to know.

[sweetheart]

12. meddling meddling meddling

The US has been messing with haiti's government since the country began... and every single state the US has interfered with, is pretty much a failed or very weak state today.

Choamsky on haiti:
Haiti is the poorest country in the hemisphere.
It’s in miserable condition. It also happens to be the leading target of US
intervention in the 20th century. Ever since Woodrow Wilson occupied it,
restored slavery, overthrew the parliamentary system and basically turned it
into a US plantation; ever since then the US has supported brutal dictators,
a murderous national- all of whom never had an embargo on them no matter how
many atrocities they were carrying out. In the early 90’s Haiti had its
first democratic election. To everyone’s surprise they elected a populist
priest who through large scale organization and activism in the slums
and the hills (who nobody was paying any attention to). The US moved in
immediately to undermine the regime: it cut off aid, supported anti-Aristide
elements, and a couple of months later a coup came.


http://mail2.factsoft.de/pipermail/national/2003-February/013934.html

Diagnosis: U.S. Government has Chronic Allergy to Haitian Democracy
http://www.commoncouragepress.com/index.cfm?action=book&bookid=242

On hatian history:
http://www.webster.edu/~corbetre/haiti/history/history.htm

[DuctapeFatwa]

2. kick so whoever notices CNN has picked it up wont post the dupe

[Judi Lynn]

3. Hope it has a good Haitian people outcome, which will hack Bush off

His foreign "policy" is pure poison.

[DuctapeFatwa]

4. Update: Haiti now known as Arbonite

The rebels established their government and named president in Gonaives, the fourth largest city and the first stronghold they took after a bloody uprising, which left dozens of people dead and many more injured.

Buter Metayer, the rebel leader who headed the attack on government police force in Gonaives, was named president of the so-called "independent country of Artibonite

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-02/20/content_1323836.htm

[Ediacara]

5. Not all of Haiti, just one province

On the northeastern shore of the Golfo de la Gonave (the very large bay on Haiti's west coast), lies the city of Gonaives which is the capital of the province (or independant country...) of Artibonite. This is actually really rather close to Port au Prince.

ON EDIT: The following cities are under rebel control: Gonaives, St Raphael, Dondon, L'Estère, Anse Rouge, Grand-Goave, Petite Rivière de l'Artibonite, Gros Morne, Trou du Nord, and Ennery. The cities of St Marc and Hinche have been under rebel attack, but aparently under Haitian government control.

[DuctapeFatwa]

6. I think they mean that it is the new name of the whole country

I am trying to find out if there are any places that they don't control.

[Ediacara]

7. Possible

The way the article is phrased leads me to believe that they are just declaring the province of Artibonite independant. Plus, the country has the same name as a province within the country... Time and better coverage will tell.

I listed the cities that the Guardian has stories on, and they all appear to be in the northern portion of the country (although I have not been able to find all of them), north of Port-au-Prince, and none so far in the south or on the western penninsula.

[Ediacara]

8. Another map

This has a few more cities and they all appear to be in the north except for Grand Goave which is just southwest of Port-au-Prince.

[annagull]

9. Ultimate Creator, please be with the people of Haiti

I have heard how they have suffered under the guidence of our government, I pray for a good and just outcome.

[eridani]

11. Stan Goff was there for the first round.

http://www.counterpunch.org/goff02142004.html

As I write this there is an attempt to start a civil war in Haiti, engineered in the United States of America and supported by its lapdogs in Caricom and the Organization of American States. Former Haitian military men who have received "some form" of training and logistical support while hiding out in the neighboring US semi-colony, the Dominican Republic, are systematically attacking the Haitian National Police at primary strategic points along the entire route from Port-au-Prince to the Dominican Border near Ouanaminthe. Only Cap Haitien has not fallen so far as St Marc, Gonaives, and Trou du Nord a town at a key bridge between the border and Cap Haitien has been ransacked by right-wing paramilitaries, who are the armed wing of a US-funded "opposition" that cloaks itself in the name Convergence Democratique, and now falsely claims no connection with this activity.

The ridiculous names like Gonaives Resistance Front that these right-wing paramilitaries have assigned themselves are already being echoed in the capitalist press, which also refers to them, idiotically, as "rebels," and to their activities as the activities of "crowds." A contact I spoke with hours ago who returned from Port-au-Prince today told me that the real crowds are those who are fleeing these fascist coup operations in the North and the massive PRO-Aristide demonstrations in the capital. This contact said the situation here is very similar in many respects to the US-supported attempt to overthrow another democratically elected government, that of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela.

[Judi Lynn]

13. Stan Goff has done us a favor with his articles

Anyone who has the chance to read them, and declines is handicapping him/herself.

From the first article:

(snip)
My contact said that contrary to what's going on here, the Haitian masses are "crystal clear" that this is a US-supported coup attempt.
(snip)