Haiti Going from a Sham to a Farce

After Namphy's coup, hopes for democracy look grim

As late-night viewing goes, it was startling fare. Just after 1 a.m., Haitian television screens were suddenly filled with the image of Lieut. General Henri Namphy, wearing a steel helmet and flanked by soldiers. "Everybody is now in the army because it is this army that is going to lead this country," he shouted, brandishing a submachine gun. Namphy, speaking live from Haiti's National Palace, was pronouncing himself President of a new military government. Hours earlier, soldiers had driven up to the palace and fired bursts of gunfire into the air while Namphy seized control. Five miles away, other troops surrounded...

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