Lieutenant general raoul cedras
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Despite Rumors, Military Ruler's Fate Looks Settled. Perhaps most importantly, in rural areas, individual section chiefs removed by the Aristide government were restored to their former positions, and the system of section chiefs which Aristide tried to dismantle has been erected once again.
As a result of the military's denunciation of grassroots groups, a pattern and practice of violence, terror and psychological intimidation against the organized poor, their leaders, and those working with them has been renewed -- not only by military forces, but also by para-military forces that the Aristide government had been trying to dismantle.
From October 1991 until June 1992, a military-backed provisional government ruled Haiti with Joseph Nerette as President and Jean-Jacques Honorat as Prime Minister.
His pathway shifted toward professional military preparation, including specialized training abroad in the United States, Spain, and Taiwan, which formed the core of his early formal education in defense and strategy.[9] This international exposure, facilitated by family connections and Duvalier-era alliances with Western powers, positioned him for entry into Haiti's armed forces, emphasizing tactical and counterinsurgency skills amid the regime's repressive apparatus.[1]
Entry into the Military and Training
Joseph Raoul Cédras entered the Haitian military in the early 1970s by enrolling in the École Militaire d'Haïti, which President Jean-Claude Duvalier had reopened after a period of closure.[10][11] This institution served as the primary training ground for officers in the Forces Armées d'Haïti (FAH), emphasizing discipline and loyalty to the regime amid Duvalier's authoritarian rule.No separate police force has been created. Under Aristide, Cédras "was one important source for the CIA, providing reports critical of President Aristide."
De facto leader of Haiti (1991–1994)
Cédras, Lieutenant General in the Forces Armées d'Haïti (FAdH; the Armed Forces of Haiti) at the time, was responsible for the 1991 Haitian coup d'état which ousted President Aristide on 29 September 1991.
Some human rights groups criticized Cédras's rule, alleging that innocent people were killed by the FAdH military and FRAPH paramilitary units.
The invasion force numbered nearly 25,000 military personnel from all services, backed by two aircraft carriers and extensive air support. 2007-10-12 .
Military
On September 30, 1991, Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide fled Haiti for Venezuela. These parliamentary standoffs, rooted in Aristide's limited legislative majority and reluctance to accommodate centrist factions, hampered policy execution and fueled perceptions of executive overreach.Military challenges intensified as Aristide sought to dismantle Duvalier-era influences within the Forces Armées d'Haïti (FAHD), an institution historically intertwined with repression and smuggling.
In April 1993, Cedras agreed to resign in exchange for amnesty for himself, his family, and members of his staff, Aristide, in exile, agreed to those conditions. Following this, Caputo again notified the Haitian junta that they should relinquish power. The invasion forces launched with the negotiations in progress, without any certainty whether they would make an opposed or a peaceful entry on to Haitian soil.
The Haitian leadership capitulated in time to avoid bloodshed.
On a more positive note, continued international pressure did eventually convince Cedras to allow the observers into Haiti.
In the United States, President Bill Clinton in March 1993 declared his intention to restore Aristide to power and to rebuild the Haitian economy. He remained in power until June 1993, when he resigned and was not replaced.
In February of 1993, the junta that had ousted President Aritide denied the deployment of international human rights observers to monitor conditions in Haiti.
Copeland. Repression extended to suppressing demonstrations and labor unrest, with attachés—civilian enforcers paid by the army—conducting warrantless arrests and home invasions, contributing to an environment where approximately 300,000 Haitians went into hiding by August 1994. On July 3, the Governors Island Agreement was signed, first by Cedras, who then left for Haiti, and later by Aritide.
USA Today.
On June 27, four days after the sanctions went into effect, Cedras and Aristide met separately with mediators at Governors Island, New York, to forge a workable agreement to return Aristide to power. Prisons remain under army control. Jonassaint resigned.[4][5] Cédras had indicated his desire to remain in Haiti.
The addition of these multinational forces shifted the operation from a U.S. military intervention to U.N.-sanctioned multinational action. Through the following months the administration pursued a dual strategy, planning for military intervention while hoping that the threat of a U.S. invasion would coerce the Haitian leaders to surrender power.
GlobalSecurity.org.