The National Revolutionary Front for the Liberation and Reconstruction of Haiti (French: Front pour la libération et la reconstruction nationales ) was a rebel group in Haiti that controlled most of the country following the 2004 Haitian coup d'état . It was briefly known as the "Revolutionary Artibonite Resistance Front", after the country's central Artibonite region, before being renamed on February 19, 2004, to emphasize its national scope.
12-613: The group can be considered an alliance between two elements within the coup: armed anti-government gangs and former soldiers of the disbanded Haitian army. The most prominent of the gangs was the one based in Gonaïves , formerly known as the "Cannibal Army", who had once supported Lavalasian-party President, Jean-Bertrand Aristide but later turned against him. The coup initiated with the Cannibal Army's capture of Gonaïves on February 5, 2004. It has been led by Buteur Metayer since
24-436: A flood plain and due to the surrounding unforested mountains. In September 2004, Hurricane Jeanne caused major flooding and mudslides in the city. Four years later, the city was again devastated by another storm, Hurricane Hanna , which killed 529 people, mostly in flooded sections of Gonaïves, where the destruction was described as "catastrophic" and 495 bodies were discovered as late as September 5. Haitian authorities said
36-609: A group of 600 anti-Aristide paramilitary soldiers, with the approval of the Dominican Republic's president, Hipolito Mejia . This training was allegedly carried out by roughly 200 members of the US Special Forces. Among the soldiers trained during this operation were known human-rights violators, Guy Philippe and Louis-Jodel Chamblain . On February 4, 2004, the paramilitary groups led by Buteur Metayer, Guy Philippe, and Louis-Jodel Chamblain began marching on
48-556: Is a commune in northern Haiti , and the capital of the Artibonite department of Haiti. It has a population of about 300,000 people, but current statistics are unclear, as there has been no census since 2003. The city of Gonaïves was founded around 1422 by a group of Taíno , who named it Gonaibo (to designate a locality of cacicat of the Jaragua). The Gulf of Gonâve is named after the town. In 1802, an important battle of
60-740: The Haitian Revolution , the Battle of Ravine-à-Couleuvres was fought near Gonaïves. Gonaïves is also known as Haiti's city of independence, because it was the location of Jean-Jacques Dessalines declaring Haiti independent from France on January 1, 1804, by reading the Act of Independence, drafted by Boisrond Tonnerre , on the Place d'Armes of the town. Marie-Claire Heureuse Félicité , the wife of Jean-Jacques Dessalines, died here in August 1858. In
72-610: The National Revolutionary Front for the Liberation of Haiti. Aristide was Haiti's first democratically elected president. April 24, 2004, Louis-Jodel Chamblain surrendered to Haitian authorities after being convicted in absentia of the slaughter of dozens in Haiti in 1999. Gona%C3%AFves Gonaïves ( French: [ɡɔnaiv] ; Haitian Creole : Gonayiv , pronounced [ɡonajiv] )
84-479: The capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince . On February 22, the rebels captured the country's second-largest city, Cap-Haïtien . By February 25, nearly the entire north was in rebel hands, and the rebels were threatening to attack the capital, Port-au-Prince . On February 29, Aristide resigned under intense pressure from the United States Government and an impending attack from rebel groups, including
96-484: The early 1990s. By February 17, the rebel forces had captured the central town of Hinche , near the Dominican border. According to reports, this attack was led by Chamblain. The rebels also controlled most of the roads connecting the central Artibonite province with the north and south of the country. It has been alleged that, from 2001 to 2004, the United States Government funded and implemented training operations for
108-597: The early 2000s, Gonaïves was the scene of substantial rioting and violence motivated primarily by opposition to President Jean-Bertrand Aristide , and on February 5, 2004, a group calling itself the Revolutionary Artibonite Resistance Front seized control of the city, starting the 2004 Haïtian rebellion . But in recent years, the city has seen a complete return to order. Even compared with other Haitian port cities, Gonaïves has long been vulnerable to hurricanes due to its location in
120-487: The murder (allegedly on Aristide's orders) of Buteur's brother, Amiot Metayer , in late 2003. The group’s name had been used a fear-tactic to spread intimidation who aimed to “eat the spoils of the Lavalasian state”, were not actual cannibals. Following the capture of Gonaïves, the rebels quickly moved into several neighboring towns, expelling the police from them. Some of these, such as Saint-Marc , were retaken by
132-655: The police and pro-Aristide militants within days. However. On February 14, the rebels were reinforced by opponents of the government who had returned from exile in the Dominican Republic: 20 former soldiers, led by Louis-Jodel Chamblain , a former militia leader who headed army death squads in 1987 and a militia known as the Front for the Advancement and Progress of Haïti (FRAPH), which killed and maimed at least 4,000 people, and raped and tortured thousands more in
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#1732779790124144-643: The tally would grow once officials were able to make their way through the city. "The assessment was only partial, because it was impossible to enter the city at that moment". Gonaïves Mayor Stephen Moise said at least 48,000 people from the Gonaïves area were forced into shelters. In 2020, President Jovenel Moïse skipped a traditional visit to Gonaïves during a climate of violence. According to local media, an armed group targeted Prime Minister Ariel Henry 's visit on 1 January 2022, resulting in one death and two injuries. Gonaives has some training centers including
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