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Haiti: Aristide supporters rally on his birthday... and possible return?

by rahul | July 16, 2008 at 06:27 am | 108 views | add comment | 0 recommendations

Haitian leftist Fanmi Lavalas party is showing strength as a political force by celebrating its leader birthday. Although not present in Haiti, a former Roman Catholic priest Jean Bertrand Aristide continues to show now and then that he is still interested in domestic politics. Aristide ruled Haiti on three occasion before being ousted by what he described as an American coup.He now lives in South Africa. Aristide return has been a common speculation in Haiti after his former ally René Préval, became President of Haiti in 2006. But Fanmi Lavalas has been targeted in violence attacks and some prominent members remain missing. Thus, Aristide´s return continue to puzzle politica analysts and Haitian Voudu priests.

Aristide supporters rally in Haiti

Police have fired tear gas to disperse protesters in Haiti who had gathered during a rally marking the 55th birthday of Jean Bertrand Aristide, the former president. Police had erected barricades at the Champs de Mars, the central plaza in the capital Port-au-Prince on Tuesday, to prevent demonstrators from reaching the national palace, about two blocks away. But several hundred people stormed through and were repelled by riot police firing tear gas.

The march was also meant to protest rising food prices, which has increased poverty in Haiti, already the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere and prompted its senate to dismiss Mario Styr, the prime minister. Styr was also one of Tuesday's lead demonstrators. The demonstration began when several hundred Aristide supporters gathered outside the ex-president's former home and swelled to several thousand as they marched across the capital chanting "We need Titid" - Aristide's nickname.

The protest was also aimed to show that Aristide and his Lavalas party are still a political force in Haiti. Five thousand people joined a march marking the fourth anniversary of his ouster in February. Aristide escaped Haiti in 2004 when he was deposed. He now lives in South Africa and accuses the US of staging the coup that ousted him - a charge Washington denies.

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