Bogeymen - Haiti Observer Blog

Dressed in a black suit and sporting dark sunglasses, Clement Barbot instigated fear wherever he went. Not with just his presence, the mere sound of the DKW jeep he rode on created a sense of fright among people. As the chief and controller of the National Security Volunteers, earlier called the Tonton Macoutes or the "hooded men", Clement Barbot was much more than just a force to reckon with during the Francois Duvalier regime.

When Francois Duvalier was proclaimed President for a term period of six years, Clement Barbot was then the self-proclaimed "Chief of the Secret Police". The team that was functioning under him was not just the military personnel. His team was a good mix of both military personnel and civilians. Clement Barbot, along with his Tonton Macoutes, gave people three alternatives other than silence and obedience. Those were to end up in jail, get themselves killed and flee the country. It was this reign of terror that struck fear in the hearts of people.

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