Gonaives, Haiti
Rebels seized 11 Haitian cities this week, torching police stations and demanding the resignation of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. The uprising began in Gonaives, Haiti’s fourth-largest city, when a youth gang chased police out of town. A team of 150 officers tried to retake the city but retreated after a fierce gun battle. Forty people, including seven policemen, died over three days. Aristide’s spokesman said the opposition was trying to seize power it couldn’t win in elections. A rebel, Axel Philippe, said Aristide was corrupt and had brought the violence on himself. “After Aristide leaves,” he said, “the country will return to normal.”
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