Aristide's
Last Moments In Haiti-
"They Overthrew Me"
By Jean Bertrand Aristide
March 06, 2004
Aristide Details
Last Moments In Haiti, Calls For Stop To Bloodshed In First Address
To Haitian People From Exile
"In overthrowing
me, they have uprooted the trunk of the liberty. It will grow back because
its roots are many and deep." In the shadow of Toussaint L'Ouverture,
the genius of the race. I declare in overthrowing me they have uprooted
the trunk of the tree of peace, but it will grow back because the roots
are L'Ouverturian.
Dear compatriots,
it is with these first words that I am saluting our brothers and sisters
from Africa, while I am standing on the soil of the Central African
Republic. Allow me to salute you by repeating that same declaration
that is, "In overthrowing me, they have uprooted the trunk of the
tree of peace." During the night of the 28th of February 2004,
there was a coup d'etat. One could say that it was a geo-political kidnapping.
I can clearly say that it was terrorism disguised as diplomacy. To conclude,
this coup d'etat and this kidnapping are like two quarters and 50 cents
side by side.
I have always denounced
the coming of this coup d'etat, but until the 27th of February, the
day before, I didn't see that the crime was going to be accompanied
by kidnapping as well. The 28th of February, at night, suddenly, American
military personnel who were already all over Port-au-Prince descended
on my house in Tabarre to tell me first that all the American security
agents who have contracts with the Haitian government only have two
options. Either they leave immediately to go to the United States, or
they fight to die. Secondly, they told me the remaining 25 of the American
security agents hired by the Haitian government who were to come in
on the 29th of February as reinforcements were under interdiction, prevented
from coming. Thirdly, they told me the foreigners and Haitian terrorists
alike, loaded with heavy weapons, were already in position to open fire
on Port-au-Prince. And right then, the Americans precisely stated that
they will kill thousands of people and it will be a bloodbath. That
the attack is ready to start, and when the first bullet is fired nothing
will stop them and nothing will make them wait until they take over,
therefore the mission is to take me dead or alive.
At that time I told
the Americans that my first preoccupation was to save the lives of those
thousands of people tonight. As far as my own life is concerned, whether
I am alive or whether I am dead, that is not what's important. As much
as I was trying to use diplomacy, the more the pressure was being intensified
for the Americans to start the attack. In spite of that, I took the
risk of slowing down the death machine to verify the degree of danger,
the degree of bluff or the degree of intimidation.
It was more serious
than a bluff. The National Palace was surrounded by white men armed
up to their teeth. The Tabarre area -- the residence -- was surrounded
by foreigners armed to their teeth. The airport of Port-au-Prince was
already under the control of these men. After a last evaluation I made
during a meeting with the person in charge of Haitian security in Port-au-Prince,
and the person in charge of American security, the truth was clear.
There was going to be a bloodbath because we were already under an illegal
foreign occupation which was ready to drop bodies on the ground, to
spill blood, and then kidnap me dead or alive.
That meeting took
place at 3 a.m. Faced with this tragedy, I decided to ask, "What
guarantee do I have that there will not be a bloodbath if I decided
to leave?"
In reality, all
this diplomatic gymnastics did not mean anything because these military
men responsible for the kidnapping operation had already assumed the
success of their mission. What was said was done. This diplomacy, plus
the forced signing of the letter of resignation, was not able to cover
the face of the kidnapping.
From my house to
the airport, everywhere there were American military men armed with
heavy weapons of death. The military plane that came to get me landed
while the convoy of vehicles that had come to get me was near the tarmac
at the airport. When we were airborne, nobody knew where we were going.
When we landed at one place nobody knew where we were. Among us on the
plane was a baby of one of my American security agents who has a Haitian
wife. They could not get out. We spent four hours without knowing where
we were. When we got back in the air again, nobody knew where we were
going.
It was not until
20 minutes before we landed in the Central African Republic that I was
given the official word that this is where we would be landing. We landed
at a French Air Force base but fortunately there were 5 ministers from
the government who came to welcome us on behalf of the President there.
We know there are
people back home who are suffering, who are being killed, who are in
hiding. But we also know that back home there are people who understand
the game, but will not give up because if they give up, instead of finding
peace, we will find death.
Therefore, I ask
that everyone who loves life to come together to protect the lives of
others. I ask everyone who does not want to see bloodshed to come together
so that it is life that flourishes instead of blood that has been spilled,
or bodies falling. I know it's possible that all Haitians who live in
the tenth department [Haitians living abroad] understand what tragedy
lies hidden under the cover of this coup d'etat, under the cover of
this kidnapping. I know and they know if we stand in solidarity we will
stop the spread of death and we will help life flourish. The same thing
that happened to a President who was democratically elected can happen
at any time, in any other country too. That's why the solidarity is
indispensable to protect a democracy that works together with life.
The constitution
is the source of this life. It's the guarantee of the life. Let's stand
together under the constitution in solidarity so that it is life that
unfolds, and that it is peace that flourishes and not death as we are
seeing it. Courage, courage, courage! From where I am with the First
Lady, we have not forgotten what Toussaint L'Ouverture has said, and
that's why we saluted all of Africa with his words, and we are saluting
all Haitians everywhere with the conviction that the roots of the tree
of peace, with the spirit of Toussaint L'Ouverture inside, are alive.
They can cut the tree as they have done with the machete of the coup
d'etat, but they cannot cut the roots of peace. It will sprout again
because it has the spirit of Toussaint L'Ouverture inside.