A UN/OAS civilian mission report described the role and origin of zenglendos in Haitian society:
The term "zenglendos" is used to refer to members of armed criminal groups, usually operating at night and particularly in the slums and working-class districts of Port-au-Prince. Some of this violence may be assumed to be purely criminal, without political motivation. However, it is widely believed in Haiti that even zenglendos operate under the cover, or with the express tacit consent of the police, and that their operation, while involving armed robberies, may also be intended to intimidate the population of localities most opposed to the post-coup authorities and committed to the return of President Aristide.78
Many Haitians believe that the army encouraged and even participated in zenglendo violence as a means of further terrorizing the civilian population. A Haitian human rights attorney described the typical zenglendo as "an armed thief who works with the complicity of the army."79 One Port-au-Prince women's rights activist told us that she believes:
the military formed the zenglendos as a paramilitary force. All these people are connected with the military—they just do not have uniforms. The police let armed civilians do these things. They create an atmosphere in which lawlessness prevails. It is to their advantage to have the population cowed.80
While it is difficult to ascertain the precise relationship of zenglendos to the military during the coup regime, there was a clear coincidence of interests and targets: violence attributed to zenglendos often targeted pro-Aristide activists who also were targeted by the army, and their violence was tolerated by the regime.
In one example of zenglendo violence, S.E., twenty-four, and R.A., seventeen, were raped and beaten by four zenglendos on September 21, 1993, in Port-au-Prince. That day, four armed civilians broke into a church during a prayer service, demanded the church's collection plate, kicked and threatened the parishioners, and demanded to know which of them was the pastor. The pastor of the church believes he was the actual target of the assault because he is a known Aristide partisan and keeps a picture of Aristide in his home. The pastor told us:
They never asked for me by name. They kicked people and hit them with the butts of their rifles and with their fists. They also hit people in the head with their revolver butts.81
Eventually the men grabbed S.E. and R.A., took them outside the church, and assaulted them. According to the pastor, "The girls tried to resist, but two men each forced them. When they left with the girls, they said, 'You women who are watching, we are going to come back to get you to do the same.'"82 According to S.E.:
I was the second girl they chose. The other girl had been lying near me, and they chose her first. Before selecting her they said they were looking for a "grimelle."83 They tried to force the other girl to walk, but she resisted. So they started pushing her and slapping her with their hands.
They took us to a clearing not far from the church. They tried to rape me but could not succeed. One came upon me as if to rape me, but since I am a virgin, I was too tight to be entered. Two of the men tried to rape me, while the other two raped the other girl. When the second one did notsucceed in entering me, he started to beat me. He started hitting me with the butt of his pistol and with his fist. Then, the other one joined in, hitting me in the head and breasts. They also kicked me in the stomach and buttocks. When they finally stopped beating me, they wanted to know where the pastor was and if I was a supporter of Aristide like my pastor. During this time, the other two were raping the other girl. I could hear her screaming.84
After the rape, the men returned S.E. and R.A., both badly beaten and traumatized by the assaults, to the church. The assailants had threatened to "shoot up the place" if anyone came after them. Neither victim filed a police report. They told us they were "putting their faith in God." The next week, they both left for the provinces to stay with relatives.
The pastor went into hiding for one month after the incident, taking it as a warning. While he was in hiding, armed civilians visited his neighborhood searching for his house.
78 UN/OAS International Civilian Mission in Haiti, Report on the Situation of Democracy and Human Rights in Haiti, A/48/532, October 25, 1993, pp. 12-13.
79 Telephone interview, Pierre Raynand, April 26, 1994.
80 Interview, Port-au-Prince, February 16, 1994.
81 Interview, Port-au-Prince, February 13, 1994.
83 Someone with a light-brown complexion.
84 Interview, Port-au-Prince, February 15, 1994.
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