A key figure in the uprising against Haiti's Jean-Bertrand Aristide said his rebels would surrender their weapons as French troops entered this hotbed of insurrection ahead of a visit by the new prime minister.
Rebels planned to hand over guns during a public meeting with Prime Minister Gerard Latortue later yesterday in the north coast city of Gonaives, rebel leader Butteur Metayer said in an interview.
"We want to turn in all the guns we fought with," said Metayer, who declined to say if that meant they would keep other arms not used in the bloody uprising that forced out President Aristide.
A Gonaives street gang began the armed rebellion that ultimately helped oust Aristide, who fled Haiti on Feb. 29.
Aristide has said he was forced out by the US, which denies it did anything but help save the embattled leader's life by arranging a flight to the Central African Republic. Aristide has since flown to the nearby island of Jamaica to be with his wife and children.
Several police were killed in a Feb. 5 gunbattle when rebels evicted police and torched the Gonaives station and other buildings. An even bloodier battle raged two days later when 150 police tried to retake the city, but failed and lost about 30 officers.
"To make peace, the first thing we want to do is turn over our weapons. We are ready and willing," Metayer said, sipping a cold Prestige beer on the steps of his house, which was nearly destroyed in clashes with police.
Another Gonaives rebel leader, Winter Etienne, also said his followers would surrender their weapons.
Casually dressed in a blue polo shirt, denim shorts and black sandals, Metayer said he would get a licensed handgun for personal protection after handing over the weapons. He suggested other rebels might do the same.
Hours earlier, an armored convoy of about 150 French Legionnaires rolled into Gonaives, Latortue's hometown, and set up a base at Haiti's State University following a brief patrol of the city.
Another 200 French troops arrived in Cap-Haitien, the northern port of 500,000 that is Haiti's second largest city. There was no reported resistance.
Their mission was to establish control in rebel-held northern Haiti and allow relief organizations to deliver food and medicines disrupted during the rebellion.
"If they are here for peace, it will be a good thing," said Gonaives resident Chantal Romeus, 28, said as he sat on his bicycle watching French troops pass by. "The town will be back to normal with these guys here."
Metayer said he welcomed the French.
"From now on, the security of Gonaives will not be in my hands. We'll be able to get some rest and let the French do it," he said.
Men scraped black sludge from sewers and swept streets clean in preparation for Latortue's visit, his first since a new government was appointed this week. The trip was coordinated with French and American troops.
Rebels in both cities had previously said they would disarm only if pro-Aristide gunmen do the same -- raising questions about the feasibility of Haiti's disarmament campaign, which is being assisted by foreign troops.
Troops say they're helping a government with scant resources to disarm gangs. But rebels can be seen in the capital and other towns patrolling with assault weapons.
ECONOMIC WORRIES: The ruling PAP faces voters amid concerns that the city-state faces the possibility of a recession and job losses amid Washington’s tariffs Singapore yesterday finalized contestants for its general election on Saturday next week, with the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) fielding 32 new candidates in the biggest refresh of the party that has ruled the city-state since independence in 1965. The move follows a pledge by Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財), who took office last year and assumed the PAP leadership, to “bring in new blood, new ideas and new energy” to steer the country of 6 million people. His latest shake-up beats that of predecessors Lee Hsien Loong (李顯龍) and Goh Chok Tong (吳作棟), who replaced 24 and 11 politicians respectively
Archeologists in Peru on Thursday said they found the 5,000-year-old remains of a noblewoman at the sacred city of Caral, revealing the important role played by women in the oldest center of civilization in the Americas. “What has been discovered corresponds to a woman who apparently had elevated status, an elite woman,” archeologist David Palomino said. The mummy was found in Aspero, a sacred site within the city of Caral that was a garbage dump for more than 30 years until becoming an archeological site in the 1990s. Palomino said the carefully preserved remains, dating to 3,000BC, contained skin, part of the
‘WATER WARFARE’: A Pakistani official called India’s suspension of a 65-year-old treaty on the sharing of waters from the Indus River ‘a cowardly, illegal move’ Pakistan yesterday canceled visas for Indian nationals, closed its airspace for all Indian-owned or operated airlines, and suspended all trade with India, including to and from any third country. The retaliatory measures follow India’s decision to suspend visas for Pakistani nationals in the aftermath of a deadly attack by shooters in Kashmir that killed 26 people, mostly tourists. The rare attack on civilians shocked and outraged India and prompted calls for action against their country’s archenemy, Pakistan. New Delhi did not publicly produce evidence connecting the attack to its neighbor, but said it had “cross-border” links to Pakistan. Pakistan denied any connection to
A US federal judge on Tuesday ordered US President Donald Trump’s administration to halt efforts to shut down Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Asia and Middle East Broadcasting Networks, the news broadcasts of which are funded by the government to export US values to the world. US District Judge Royce Lamberth, who is overseeing six lawsuits from employees and contractors affected by the shutdown of the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), ordered the administration to “take all necessary steps” to restore employees and contractors to their positions and resume radio, television and online news broadcasts. USAGM placed more than 1,000
RSS