Haitian Army retires deposed commanders

Press, 24 September 1988, Page 10

Haitian Army retires deposed commanders

NZPA-Reuter Port-Au-Prince The Haitian Army yesterday retired many of the commanders deposed by their troops in the aftermath of a coup in what appeared to be a majpr victory for the young soldiers. In a statement read on national television, the Army high command announced the retirement of 26 middle-ranking

officers, many of them apparently commanders I of the bases where ’ soldiers supporting last 1 Saturday’s coup rebelled 1 against unpopular 1 officers. Independent Radio Haiti said troops named new commanders at bases in the Haitian towns of Saint Marc and Jeremie, while at Cote de Fer in the south, the officer in charge of the barracks fled fearing a ; revolt. ■

One person was reported killed and three wounded on Wednesday in Saint Marc, 65km north of Port-au-Prince, when the garrison commander, Captain Ernst Radix, ordered his men to fire on a demonstration supporting the coup. Radio Haiti said Radix, thought to lead a powerful group of Tontons Macoutes known as the Sans Mamans (the motherless

ones) who have attacked priests and Western journalists, was overthrown by his troops early on Thursday and brought to the capital. United Nations agencies on the Caribbean island instructed their staff to assume a preliminary state of emergency and stock up on food and provisions in their homes. An official from one agency said United Nations-linked missions

were not allowed to travel to Haiti at the moment. Young soldiers from the Army headquarters in Port-au-Prince where many of the officers deposed from provincial bases had been taken, issued a statement to other soldiers appealing for an end to the shooting in the steamy rundown capital. The soldiers, who are seeking a variety of re-

forms, from improved toilet and eating facilities to free elections and a rapid return to democracy, told their colleagues they would need their bullets in , the future. Up to 20 people have died in Haiti, mainly in revenge killings since young presidential guardsmen overthrew the military President, Henri Namphy, on Saturday and replaced him

with General Prosper Avril. The victims, many of whose bodies have been burned in front of cheering crowds, were hunted down by soldiers and civilians for their links with the feared Tontons Macoutes, the irregular force set up by the former dictator, Francois (Papa Doc) Duvalier, that has terrorised the home of voodoo for over 25 years.