Port au Prince - History

First discovered by Columbus and colonised in the 17th century by the French, Haiti gained independence in 1804 (seceding from the neighbouring Dominican Republic) after a 12-year uprising by African-descended slaves. During the rest of the 19th century, Haiti was under the control of a succession of dictators, none of whom had the wherewithal to resolve the conflict between the mulattos, who held political power, and the negroes. America took control early in the 20th century, sending troops in at one stage to support the regime. After 30 years as a US protectorate, Haiti returned to indigenous rule.

Elections in 1957 brought to power Dr Francis Duvalier, a country physician, who presided over one of the world's most authoritarian regimes. With the help of a private militia known as the Tontons Macoutes (the Creole phrase for 'bogeymen'), political dissent was systematically eradicated and opponents jailed or murdered. The traditional Voodoo religion was widely abused in order to intimidate critics. Duvalier (commonly known as 'Papa Doc') died in 1971, handing the leadership over to his son Jean Claude ('Baby Doc') who ruled the country for the next 15 years in the same manner as his father.

Half-hearted efforts - such as the elections in which all opposition candidates were arrested on polling day - were made to present a more acceptable face to the outside world, primarily in order to secure foreign aid. Despite the constant attentions of the Tontons, political opposition continued to grow, crucially within the army; in the spring of 1986 these elements finally turned against the regime and forced Duvalier's flight from the country. A succession of military governments followed before Haiti started the transition to civilian rule.

Presidential elections were held in mid-December 1990 under the supervision of the United Nations and brought to the presidency the radical priest Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Aristide faced a formidable task in attempting to rebuild his shattered country. Overseas aid was forthcoming, but many Western donors were wary of Aristide's radical credentials despite the overwhelming public support which he enjoyed. Nine months later, army chief Brigadier-General Raoul Cedras seized power in a military coup. Aristide was exiled. Repeated unsuccessful attempts were made by various international bodies, notably the Organisation of American States, to negotiate with the Cedras junta, while applying diplomatic pressure and arranging economic sanctions.

In June 1992, with the talks going nowhere, the army announced the creation of a 'government of national consensus' with Marc Bazin, one of the presidential candidates defeated by Aristide, at its head. A conservative seen as a representative of the country's rich elite, Bazin's appointment was duly ratified by the lower house of parliament. International recognition continued to elude the Government, however, with only the Vatican recognising it. In the summer of 1993, a deal between the Cedras regime and Aristide allowed the latter to come back to the country and resume the presidency.

In September, Robert Malval took over as premier as a preparatory measure towards a full democratic political settlement. As Malval took office, a significant new political force emerged in Haiti: the Front Revolutionnaire pour l'Avancement et le Progres d'Haiti (FRAPH). Despite its relatively inncocuous title, FRAPH is the descendant of the Duvalierist Tontons and largely run by the so-called attaches who are responsible for most of the political violence in the country. FRAPH was also subsequently shown to have been partially financed by American intelligence, which remains strongly opposed to Aristide. In this they were allied with the bulk of Haiti's armed and police forces who were and remain fiercely anti-Aristide.

The climate created by FRAPH in this period was sufficiently intimidating for American warships to turn back rather than attempt to land troops to assist peace-keeping operations, and for a group of UN humanitarian workers already in Haiti to escape to the Dominican Republic. In the following six months, up to April 1994, futile negotiations between the Cedras regime, Aristide and the US - in which the UN Security Council was also heavily involved - convinced everyone who had not already realised it that the Haitian junta were not serious about a political settlement. At this point, sanctions were extended to ban all international trade, including air flights, other than food and medicine.

The UN, with the US taking the lead, carried on the search for a political settlement. The next deal, signed in September 1994, stipulated the "early and honourable retirement" of the military regime, the return of Aristide and the lifting of sanctions. The Haitian military accepted it, and Arisitide went home at last. A new prime minister, businessman Smarck Michel, was appointed. Several thousand mostly American troops arrived in Haiti, with the sanction of the UN, to guarantee a peaceful transition. The UN then arranged its own 6,000-strong peace-keeping force, of which half came from the US. Its work in suppressing the activities of FRAPH and creating conditions for the restoration of civilian government was largely successful. The first major test, the holding of legislative elections in June 1995, passed off relatively quietly: supporters of Aristide took the bulk of the seats in both the lower and upper chambers of the legislature.

However, disagreements over economic policy led to the resignation of premier Smarck Michel. His successor was an academic and close ally of Aristide, Claudette Werleigh. This was one of Aristide's last major appointments before his term of office came to an end. The victory at the December 1995 presidential election of another associate, Rene Preval, has brought the turbulent political career of Jean-Bertrand Aristide to a close. The prospects for his successor are not promising. Haiti's problems are so intractable that even with large injections of foreign aid and an IMF-approved economic plan, the economy remains stubbornly inert.

Port-au-Prince is the capital, chief port, and commercial centre of Haiti and the seat of Ouest departement. It is situated on a magnificent bay at the apex of the Golfe de la Gonave (Gulf of Gonaives), which is protected from the open sea by the island of Gonave. The city was laid out in a grid pattern in 1749 by the French called L'Hopital. It has suffered frequently from earthquakes (especially in 1751 and 1770), fires, and civil strife. It replaced Cap-Haitien as the capital of the old French colony Saint-Domingue in 1770. In 1807 its port was opened to foreign commerce. Sanitary conditions were improved during U.S. occupation (1915-34). The city's bicentennial was commemorated in 1949 by an international exposition, the site of which is now a palm-fronted promenade.

Textile, cottonseed oil, flour, and sugar mills are located in or near the city, and, to encourage cattle and horse breeding, the government established a stock-feeding station in 1959. There are air services to the main Caribbean islands, Canada, the United States, and Switzerland, and several luxury hotels have been built. Tourism fluctuates with political conditions.

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