Raoul Cedras - Haiti Observer Blog

Joseph Raoul Cédras is a former military officer, and was de facto ruler of Haiti (September 30, 1991 - October 10, 1994). Cédras was a Lieutenant General in the Forces Armées d'Haïti (the Haitian army) and was responsible for the 1991 Haitian coup d'état which ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide on 30 September 1991. He was educated in the United States and was a member of the US-trained Leopard Corps and received training from the Spanish military. This former Haitian military strongman resigned in September 1994 at the request of the U.S and in exchange of a million dollar-plus "golden parachute" offer to resign and go into exile, including the rental of three of his houses at $5,000 a month. As part of a deal to avoid arrest, he left for Panama and allowed the return of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide whom he ousted by a coup in September 1991. The Panamanian government provided Cedras and his family with security only during their first two weeks in the country, as a courtesy.

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Many people played a hand in the 1991 coup that saw the elected president of the Republic of Haiti, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, removed from office, few with as much importance as army colonel and the then Haitian police chief, Joseph-Michel François. He was born on May 8, 1957 and went to military school at Fort Bragg in the United States.

The skills he acquired there would serve him well as part of the oppressive government, which ruled for over three years under Raoul Cédras. During this time, Michel Francois headed up the secret police and oversaw, or facilitated, many human rights violations, murders and other heinous, counter-judiciary acts.

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Few people guilty of the most heinous crimes in Haiti's history have received due punishment. It would seem that justice for the wrongs done to people in the country, blatantly orchestrated and performed by those in power, is a thing to be hoped for but never truly achieved.

When Luc Désir was charged with his crimes and sentenced to life imprisonment at hard labor in the late 1980's, it seemed as though all the people he'd tortured, their families who suffered and those whose lives he'd brutally ended, all as the head of Francois Duvalier's Secret Police, would finally see restitution. It's been speculated that hundreds of people imprisoned by him disappeared without trace, the true nature of his dealings with the imprisoned unknown until audio recordings he made of his torture sessions became public fodder.

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Raoul Cedras was the de facto leader of Haiti for three years, from 1991 to 1994. He was born on July 9th, 1949 and got into the military in the US early in life. He was educated in the US and later joined the Leopard Corps which was trained by the US forces. Yanick Prosper was the spouse of Cedras.

Important CIA Agent

As the Lieutenant General of the Haitian army Raoul Cedras was chiefly responsible for ousting the president Jean Bertrand Aristide. He was a crucial CIA agent who reported on the president. He went on to become the Commander-in-Chief of the army.

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Joseph Nerette was born on April 9th in the year 1924. He lived for 83 years and his life saw many ups and downs. He was popular Haitian judge and had a long political career which culminated as the President of Haiti.

Provisional President

Joseph Nérette was the 48th president of Haiti. While he served his term as the president of Haiti Jean-Jacques Honorat was the Prime Minister. He was a provisional president of Haiti as the actual power rested with the military.

The military was headed by Michel Francois and Raoul Cedras who were really powerful leaders. As the power rested with the military there were no major changes initiated by Joseph Nérette as a president of Haiti.

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This video will definitely mean something to many Haitians. It was a time when Haiti was under the dictatorship of Jean-Claude Duvalier. Some people have positive memories of the Duvalier the same way some have negative memories. For some people who will be watching this video, it will remind them of a time when things were good for them in Haiti. However for many, this can only remind them of abuse, repression, death and exile.

During the Duvalier era many names became popular; some in a noble aspect; but many, in unscrupulous ways. Some of the names during both Francois Duvalier and Jean-Claude Duvalier that became famous include the following:

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