On Tue., Dec. 3, Haitian authorities freed the two remaining organizers of the union Batay Ouvriye who were arrested last May 27 in Guacimal, near the northeastern town of St. Raphael (see Haïti Progrès, Vol. 20, No. 11, 5/29/2002).

After months of national and international protest against their prolonged, uncharged detention, a judge in the town of Grande Rivière du Nord finally issued an order for the release of Jérémie Dorvil and Urbain Garçon on Dec. 2. The latter has suffered from lack of medical attention to a leg wound sustained on May 27.

The two were among 11 people, including two journalists, arrested after unionists clashed with a mob organized by local landowners and officials. The mob macheted to death two Batay Ouvriye organizers, Fransilyen Exiné and Ipharès Guerrier, who were buried on the spot (see Haïti Progrès, Vol. 20, No. 12, 6/5/2002).

For years, Batay Ouvriye has sought to win rights and wage hikes for the workers on the orange tree plantation at Guacimal. The oranges until recently have been the basis of the world-renowned Remy Cointreau liqueur.

"We want to thank all those who have worked for the release of these two unionists," said Christian Lemoine of Rezo Solidarite, a Batay Ouvriye support group. "But we continue to demand justice for the two unionists who were murdered and an end to the intimidation, stonewalling, and violence which has met Batay Ouvriye's attempts to organize workers in Guacimal. The workers there have rights and must be allowed to organize for better conditions and pay."



Close-Up on the Troubles in Gonaïves

Since Nov. 25, turmoil has gripped the city of Gonaïves. Demonstrations, gunfire, and burning barricades have occurred almost daily, fueled by a vicious circle of retaliation between rival "popular organizations."

The Gonaïves neighborhood of Dèkawo is a stronghold of Jean Pierre, alias Jean Tatoun, a local leader who rose to prominence during the 1986 uprisings against dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier but then collaborated with the ensuing neo-Duvalierist dictatorships and with the 1991-1994 coup d‚état. His partisans today call for the resignation of President Jean Bertrand Aristide.

Facing Tatoun are popular organizations loyal to the government and led by Amiot Métayer, alias "Cubain," who is based in the city‚s largest shantytown, Raboteau. Ironically, Métayer was briefly jailed by government authorities before dramatically breaking out of jail last August (see Haïti Progrès, Vol. 20, No. 21 8/7/2002) but today strongly defends Aristide's government and party, the Fanmi Lavalas.

On Nov. 28, the Gonaïves Citizens Initiative, an alliance of businessmen, big landowners, former Duvalierist officials, and former soldiers, organized a demonstration to commemorate the 17th anniversary of the killing of Mackenson Michel, Jean Robert Céus, and Daniel Israel. When these three school children were killed by gunfire from Duvalier‚s soldiers on Nov. 28, 1985, it touched off nationwide protests which brought down the regime about two months later.

Ironically, former Duvalierist functionaries, soldiers and Tonton Macoutes (as Duvalier's paramilitary corps was called) organized this commemoration denouncing the dictatorship which they served.

Calling for Aristide's resignation, the demonstrators rallied in front of the Gonaïves cathedral where Pierre Robert Auguste, former information minister of Jean Claude Duvalier and spokesman of the demonstration, delivered a speech calling for Aristide's removal. Things went sour shortly after Jean Tatoun joined the march and began waving a U.S. flag. Government partisans began throwing stones and bottles at the demonstrators, and flailing at them with short whips known as "rigwaz."

Five people were wounded by gunfire, including a CIMO agent named Pierre Richard Mezil, who was shot in the head and died in the hospital shortly thereafter.

In response, Lavalas popular organizations set out to burn the house of Jean Tatoun. In the ensuing confusion, several people were beaten and about 10 houses were sacked.

After the events of Nov. 28, three radio stations ˆ Radio Provincial, Radio Kiss FM, and Radio Independence ˆ were forced to withdraw their correspondents from the field and stop reporting news due to the violent atmosphere.

Although Nov. 29 was calm, things heated up again on Nov. 30. Around 6 p.m. that day, partisans of Jean Tatoun seized the vehicle of a Metayer partisan passing through Dekawo, which straddles the city‚s southern entrance. Learning of this, Métayer's partisans set out to recover the car from Tatoun's group. In the confrontation which followed, Evens Auguste, a Métayer partisan, was killed by gunfire.

On Sun. Dec. 1, the situation was even worse. The family and partisans of Evens Auguste went to Jubilee and burned about 20 houses. Among the homes burned was that of Senat Joseph, the Fanmi Lavalas‚ Gonaïves town delegate. In the fires, a woman named Mimose and a child were burned to death.

This sparked a demonstration by more than 1000 people, led by a pro-Lavalas popular organization, who voiced their support for Aristide. They chanted that they would not allow the return of the Haitian army and would not go into hiding again as they had done during the coup. They charged that the Convergence and the "international community" are distributing money to create havoc in the country so that the U.S. has an excuse to occupy it again.

On Mon. Dec. 2, early in the morning, Convergence partisans set up burning tire barricades in Dèkawo, the city‚s southern entrance, closing schools and most businesses in the city that day.