In 1991, a former militia leader's failed coup ended in his swift arrest
The terrifying legacy of Haiti's secret police nearly returned in 1991 when a former militia leader stormed the national palace to seize power, only to be thwarted by a swift military response.
Roger Lafontant, the former head of the feared Tonton Macoute militia, attempted a desperate coup d'état in January 1991 to prevent the inauguration of President-elect Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Lafontant forced the provisional president to resign at gunpoint, declaring himself the new leader of Haiti.
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