Haiti: General Without an Army

The military surprises an old Duvalier crony by siding with the government and crushing his coup attempt

President Ertha Pascal-Trouillot was at home with her family when an army tank driver knocked on her door at 10 p.m. As gunfire echoed in the distance, he told her there was trouble and that she would be safer at the presidential palace, three miles away in Port-au-Prince, the capital. On the way, the driver stopped to pick up a second passenger, a heavyset, balding man whom Pascal-Trouillot could not identify in the dark. Only after arriving at the palace did the President learn that her companion was Dr. Roger Lafontant, former head of the Tontons Macoutes militia, and that she...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!