The armed rebels who have taken over Cap-Haïtien and other Haitian towns must not attack civilians, including government loyalists, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch also condemned attacks by pro-government gangs during demonstrations staged by the political opposition in Port-au-Prince.
Armed rebels in Cap-Haïtien have been searching for militants loyal to President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, according to news reports. Some members of the rebel forces have reportedly threatened to execute Aristide loyalists.
In light of the potential for widespread violence, Human Rights Watch said that the international community should consider sending military troops and police to Haiti to protect the human rights of the country’s citizens. Already, the death toll of the rebellion is said to be about 70, with dozens more having been wounded. President Aristide has requested the presence of an international peacekeeping force.
“Given the horrendous human rights records of some of the leaders of the armed rebellion, we are extremely concerned that the rebel forces will take advantage of the opportunity to settle scores,” said Joanne Mariner, Deputy Director of Human Rights Watch’s Americas Division. “These men, notorious for killings and other abuses during the military government, must not be allowed to take violent reprisals against government loyalists.”
Rebel forces have announced that they plan by Sunday to march on Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital, exacerbating fears of widespread violence. There are large numbers of pro-Aristide gangs, known as chimères, in Port-au-Prince. If rebel forces manage to take control of the capital, there is a serious possibility that they will hunt down and kill members of these groups.
Government ministers also reportedly fear violent retaliation and, according to news reports, have been seeking secure hiding places.
Human Rights Watch noted that the pro-government gangs, too, are notorious for their violent and lawless methods. They have routinely attacked peaceful demonstrations of the political opposition in Port-au-Prince, most recently last week.
Fears of a bloodbath are raised by the past records of rebel leaders, which include Louis Jodel Chamblain and Jean-Pierre Baptiste (alias Jean Tatoune). Chamblain, one of main leaders of the paramilitary group known as the Revolutionary Front for Haitian Advancement and Progress (Front révolutionnaire pour l'avancement et le progrès haïtien, or FRAPH), during the 1991-1994 military government, was convicted in absentia in September 1995 and sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Antoine Izméry, a well-known pro-democracy activist.
Tatoune, also a FRAPH leader, is one of those responsible for the 1994 Raboteau massacre, in which at least 15 people were killed. In 2000, in an historic trial, he was convicted of participation in the massacre and sentenced to life in prison.
According to journalists, less than half of Haiti is currently in the control of the central government.
