Dwayne Monroe <idoru345 at yahoo.com> wrote:
>An interesting turn of events: 'rebel leader' Guy
>Phillipe, who only a few days ago declared himself to
>be military head of Haiti has reportedly changed his
>mind after a meeting with the US Marine Commander -
[...]
>Also, it's certain Phillipe is expecting something in
>eturn for cooperation (this is human nature, yes?) -
>"democracy and security for Haiti" is the sanctioned
>story but this is hard to believe.
Yes, it's hard to believe, especially given the drug trade connections Guy Philippe is alleged to have [see below]. Perhaps it's more about security for continued narco trade in return for a nicely positioned -- Cuba, Venezuela -- US military presence in the Caribbean?
Diane
Drug money reportedly funding Haiti fighting
BY GARY MARX AND CAM SIMPSON Chicago Tribune
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - (KRT) - If they take power, the Haitian rebels closing in on this capital city are promising a new and more democratic era in this historically troubled and violent country.
But experts and diplomats say several of the top rebel leaders are former military and police officials who are suspected of major human-rights violations while in power and who allegedly have financed their insurgency with past profits from the illegal drug trade.
That puts the would-be leaders on similar footing with the government of embattled President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who U.S. officials and others say has allowed Haiti to become one of the region's most significant transit points for Colombian cocaine on its way to the United States.
Aristide has vehemently denied involvement in the drug trade, but others in his government have long been suspected by U.S. officials. At least six Aristide administration officials' travel visas have been revoked by the United States in recent years because of suspected involvement with narcotics trafficking, according to diplomatic sources.
[...]
The two top rebel leaders have been suspected of involvement in the drug trade. Authorities in Haiti and elsewhere believe top commander Guy Philippe became involved in narcotics smuggling in the 1990s while he was a leading Haitian police official. Philippe denied in an interview with the Chicago Tribune that he ever participated in the drug trade.
The other commander in the insurgency, Louis-Jodel Chamblain, was a leader of the Front for the Advancement and Progress of Haiti, a paramilitary group that killed several thousand Aristide supporters after Aristide was toppled in a 1991 military coup.
[...]
In a recent interview with the Chicago Tribune, Aristide said the rebels, not his government, were closely tied to the narcotics trade.
Besides Philippe and Chamblain, several other rebel leaders are former Haitian military and police officials who held key positions a decade ago when cocaine trafficking flourished on the island, experts say.
[...]
In interviews with the Chicago Tribune, Chamblain and Philippe said they were financing the insurrection primarily through donations from Haitians living in the United States and Canada.
[...]
Unlike Peru or Colombia, Haiti is not a major producer of illicit drugs. But the island has long been a key transit point for cocaine heading to the U.S.
Bruce Bagley, a professor of international studies at the University of Miami who has long studied the narcotics trade, said Haitian officials have historically been corrupt and poorly paid, making them receptive to bribes.
[...]
"Drug traffickers have a virtual field day in Haiti," Bagley said.
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