Haiti became independent in 1804, following a successful revolution against French colonial rule. For the next 150 years, the small country experienced almost constant political, financial, and social instability, worsened by the massive colonial debts owed to France. The U.S. Marines occupied Haiti for nearly 20 years in the early 20th century. For much of that period, relations with the neighboring Dominican Republic were extremely tense. In 1937, Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo massacred over 20,000 Haitians in what became known as the Parsley Massacre. François Duvalier, known as “Papa Doc”, won the 1957 presidential election, and in 1964 proclaimed himself “president for life”. His brutal rule was backed by a death squad known as the Tonton Macoute, and repression and corruption were common. Under his rule, over 30,000 Haitians were killed. When he died in 1971, his son Jean-Claude (Baby Doc) took power, continuing the abuses of his father’s regime despite some attempts to project a less repressive image abroad. After years of politically oppression, corruption, and numerous health and economic crises, a rebellion broke out against Duvalier in 1985. In 1986, he fled to France, and a transitional military government took power. Jean-Bertrand Aristide won the 1990 election, but was overthrown by the military, who ruled until 1994. Facing the threat of a US invasion, and with the mediation of former US President Jimmy Carter, the military relinquished power to Aristide. Aristide’s second term as President, from 2000-2004, led to increasing political and economic turmoil. There were allegations of fraud and irregularities in the 2000 election, and Aristide soon faced a rebellion by paramilitary groups. With rebels controlling the large cities of Gonaïves and Cap-Haïtien, and approaching Port-au-Prince, Aristide resigned in unclear circumstances and under US pressure. He went into exile on an American plane, landing in the Central African Republic.
Following the overthrow of Arisitde, the situation in Haiti did not improve. Gang violence, government corruption, and economic turmoil all continued, despite international aid and the presence of a UN peacekeeping mission. In 2010, a devastating earthquake struck Haiti, causing over 100,000 deaths and widespread destruction of buildings and infrastructure throughout the country. The recovery was slow, and following the inauguration of Jovenel Moïse as president in 2017 the country faced further instability. Corruption, high fuel prices, and political instability driven by disputes over the exact length of Moïse’s term, led to frequent protests. Haiti had become a center of international narcotics trafficking, aided by deep-seated corruption in the police and government. In 2021, Moïse was assassinated by hired assassins, most of whom were former Colombian soldiers, who are though to have been hired by high-ranking Haitian officials involved in drug trafficking, who feared exposure by Moïse. Gang violence and rising prices have led to an ongoing crisis in Haiti, compounded by the lack of legitimate elected officials. Gangs, some descended from the Tonton Macoute, control large swathes of Port-au-Prince, the current acting President, Ariel Henry, is suspected of being involved in the assassination of Moïse, and the last democratically elected officials left office in 2023. The UN Security Council authorized a Kenyan-led multinational support mission, in hopes of stabilizing the country.
