On the night of May 6, gunmen fired on the car of Sen. Prince Pierre Sonson in his hometown of Cayes-Jacmel, fatally wounding his bodyguard, Robert Blémur.

The following week, on the night of May 12, unknown arsonists in the southeastern town set fire to the home of the senator's mother, Dieula Prince, partially burning it. She had taken refuge in Port-au-Prince since May 7 and was not home at the time. Neighbors extinguished the fire.

The circumstances surrounding the May 6 shooting remain cloudy. Sen. Sonson had apparently returned to the town to reopen the mayor's office, which had been closed three weeks ago by the Interior Minister following charges of impropriety.

In an initial declaration, Sen. Sonson made the incident sound almost like an accident. "Last night, as I was driving around the streets of Cayes-Jacmel, unknown gunmen fired on my car," he said. "When I alerted the police, they told me that there were gangs guarding the mayor's office and that it was probably they who fired... There were some Lavalas militants who decided to reopen the Cayes-Jacmel mayor's office. I approached to see what was going on. When I got near the mayor's office, someone fired on my car."

Blémur was shot in the eye and rushed to a hospital in Port-au-Prince, where he died a few days later.

By then, Sen. Sonson's tone had changed. "It was professionals who shot him," he charged. "This is not something that we consider a mere accident." Sonson said that "a militant" told him that the attack was "arranged in Port-au-Prince" and that "names had been cited, but I am going to remain reserved right now and not cite any names" He said that "later, depending how the case proceeds, I might cite names to a judge."

Sen. Sonson is a prominent member of President Jean Bertrand Aristide's Lavalas Family party (FL) and has been outspoken about the party's political failings and the need to lift parliamentary immunity on Sen. Dany Toussaint, a former soldier accused of involvement in the murder of radio journalist Jean Dominique on April 3, 2000.

This call, in particular, has aroused the enmity of Sen. Toussaint, who, along with two other former military officers, Sens. Fourèl Célestin and Joseph Médard, form a parliamentary clique called the "soldiers."

Meanwhile, Sen. Sonson has two stalwart parliamentary allies, Sens. Gerard Gilles and Lans Clonès. All three are medical professionals and make up a counter-clique called the "doctors."

The two cliques have repeatedly sparred on the Senate floor. Célestin is now president of the Senate.

In January, Sen. Sonson charged publicly that he was being threatened by Sen. Toussaint. Toussaint charged that Sonson had been inciting people to burn down the homes of opposition leaders following a failed assassination attempt on Aristide on Dec. 17. Sonson claims he was out that day trying to calm the enraged crowds.

"I will not let myself by silenced by anybody and I am ready to die with the truth on my lips," Sonson declared.

While the senator is reluctant to reveal his version of the truth about the events of May 6, some of Sonson's supporters were anxious to offer their explanation. "It's Dany Toussaint and Fourèl Célestin who are involved in this affair," one of them told Radio Métropole. "I am a member of the Lavalas Family in Cayes-Jacmel and have endured much evil pressure for what has now happened where Sen. Prince's bodyguard has fallen."

The conflict in Cayes-Jacmel involves a local gang called Face-à-Face (Face to Face), which is hostile to Sen. Sonson, and which his followers claim is financed by Toussaint and Célestin. Face-à-Face also opposes Cayes-Jacmel mayor Ernest Fils, a political ally of Sonson.

Meanwhile, Célestin has criticized Sonson for getting involved in affairs far outside his authority, like trying to reopen the mayor's office in the middle of the night. Célestin called Sonson's conduct "a bad example."