|
20,000 U.S. troops land unopposed in Haiti to
oversee the country's transition to democracy.
In 1991, Roman Catholic priest Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the first
freely elected leader in Haitian history, was deposed in a bloody
military coup. He escaped to exile, and a three-man junta took
power. In 1994, reacting to evidence of atrocities committed by
Haiti's military dictators, the United Nations authorized the use of
force to restore Aristide. On September 18, the eve of the American
invasion, a diplomatic delegation led by former U.S. President Jimmy
Carter brokered a last-minute agreement with Haiti's military to
give up power. Bloodshed was prevented, and on October 15 Aristide
returned. Aristide served as president until the expiration of his
term in 1996. In 2000, he was again elected Haitian president in an
election marked by violence and corruption. |
