Haiti: U.S. Response to Allegations of an Assassination Plot.
Abstract
On September 30,1991, 8 months after his inauguration as Haiti's fist democratically elected president, Jean-Bertand Aristide was overthrown by a military coup. On September 18,1994, after 3 years of economic and diplomatic pressure, including the threat of direct U.S. military intervention, Haiti's military regime agreed to relinquish power and allow Aristide to return to office in October 1994. Among other things, this agreement allowed for the nonviolent entry of U.S. troops into Haiti on September 19,1994. From September 1994 through March 30,1995, the U.S.-led multinational force (MNF) of 20,000 U.S. and 4,100 foreign troops was deployed to Haiti to establish a 'safe and secure environment.' On March 31,1995, this responsibility was transferred to the U.N. Mission in Haiti, with 6,900 troops, about half of whom were U.S. troops. On March 19,1995, a Haitian national working as a translator for the MNF informed U.S. troops that he was part of a conspiracy to assassinate Mrs. Bertin. The informant alleged that a group of four other Haitians would be meeting at his home later that day and that they would stake out Mrs. Bertin's house that night. He also said that the Minister of the Interior was somehow involved. MNF forces acted quickly to detain the informant, his wife, and the four suspects. Subsequently, on March 28,1995, Mrs. Bertin was assassinated in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince while driving with a client to a meeting.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA323625
Entities
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office