Haiti

A month of unrest

[AP photo]

Townspeople celebrate Aristide's departure.

Photo gallery
Main story
Analysis: Tense diplomacy led to exit
A month of unrest
Multinational force has U.N. backing
Key figures in the crisis
Continuing updates: Aristide in Central African Republic
Previous coverage
Tampa Bay's 10 News video: 56k | High-Speed

---

Ongoing coverage

New prime minister confirmed by lawmakers in Haiti

Feds: Haiti abuse suspect sought boys while in US

FEB. 5, 2004: An armed gang once loyal to Aristide drives police out of Gonaives, Haiti's fourth-largest city, starting a popular uprising.

FEB. 8: Rebels take St. Marc, south of Gonaives. Residents reportedly support the rebels.

FEB. 9: Unrest has spread to almost a dozen towns in western and northern Haiti. At least 40 people have died in what the government says is a coup.

FEB. 10: Police retake St. Marc and pro-Aristide residents of Cap-Haitien build barricades to keep out rebels.

FEB. 13: U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell urges Aristide to "reach out to the opposition" and guard against violence.

FEB. 16: Ex-soldiers returned from exile in the Dominican Republic seize Hinche. Rebels control most area roads and have cut off northern Haiti. At least 56 people have died.

FEB. 17: Prime Minister Yvon Neptune appeals for international help, even as Washington and Paris state reluctance to use force to stop the uprising.

FEB. 18: Police abandon northern towns of Peligre and Thumonde. Amid rumors of an imminent attack, police in Cap-Haitien hole up in stations while Aristide supporters erect barricades. AP reports Aristide has rebuffed U.S. suggestions he hold early elections.

FEB. 19: The National Resistance Front To Liberate Haiti, a new rebel alliance, is announced. Its commander is returned exile Guy Philippe. Aristide says he is "ready to die" to defend Haiti. Powell says regional leaders, the U.N., France and Canada are working for a political solution that leaves Aristide as president, but the U.S. would not object if he left early.

FEB. 20: Aristide loyalists attack antigovernment protesters in Port-au-Prince. Scores of foreigners, including missionaries and aid workers, stream out of Haiti. Police flee from Fort Liberte in the north. More than 60 Haitians have now been killed. Diplomats present Aristide with a plan allowing to stay in office, with diminished powers.

FEB. 21: An international delegation that includes U.S. diplomat Roger Noriega arrives to press for a truce. Aristide agrees to the power-sharing agreement.

FEB. 22: Rebels seize Cap-Haitien, Haiti's second-largest city, and vow to press on to the capital.

FEB. 23: 50 Marines arrive to safeguard the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince.

FEB. 24: Aristide appeals for nonmilitary foreign intervention and warns that desperate Haitians may try to flee by boat to Florida. Talks between diplomats and the opposition collapse as the Democratic Platform insists Aristide resign. The northern city of Port-de-Paix is lost.

FEB. 25: Pro-Aristide gangs of chimeres take to the streets in Port-au-Prince in a show of bravado, blocking roads into the city. Security deteriorates as looting breaks out and gangs rob motorists fleeing the city. Aristide sends his two daughters to relatives in New York. At least 70 people have been killed since Feb. 5.

FEB. 26: Police abandon Haiti's third-largest city, Les Cayes. Powell openly questions whether Aristide can "effectively continue" to lead Haiti. France's foreign minister blames Aristide for the crisis and implies he should resign. Western airlines suspend flights. The U.S. Coast Guard says it has intercepted 546 Haitians at sea this week.

FEB. 27: Jeremie and Mirebalais are overrun. Guy Philippe says he will blockade Port-au-Prince, hoping to avoid a bloody fight. Looters attack the capital's port. Gas stations, banks and major businesses close; fresh produce is dwindling. At least 12 people are killed in the growing anarchy. The Pentagon weighs sending more than 2,000 Marines and three warships to waters off Haiti.

FEB. 28: Increasing pressure on Aristide, a White House statement says his actions "have called into question his fitness to continue to govern." Rebel forces, 20 miles from the capital, slow to await developments.

FEB. 29: Aristide resigns and goes into exile. At least 100 people have died in the rebellion.

World and national headlines

Election 2004

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times 490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 Contact the Times | Privacy Policy Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright