8 october 2004

So the war started here again last week. Sept 30, the anniversary of Aristide's eviction from the country in 1991, was the occasion for big demonstrations in centreville. Those demonstrations served as cover for the gunmen who started shooting people downtown. Sarah Wynne was at the l'opital general that day and heard lots of gunfire downtown. Quite a few gunshot wounds were brought in. Three police were killed that day. The next few days found police with their heads
cut off. "koupe tet, boule kay" is what they have been chanting since last march. Cut off heads, burn houses. That was the war cry of Dessalines.

Now they are promising to cut off the heads of blan. And pres Bush, today. They are calling it Operation Bagdhad. Maybe car bombs are coming. There are a lot more protesters than there were last spring. They could only get together a few hundred chanters in march and april. The crowds last thursday were large. No jobs program has been started in the 7 months since aristide was kidnapped/rescued. That is the problem. They need to hire a couple of hundred thousand people for a couple bucks a day; plus a bowl of food. Building roads by hand like the chinese do. They know how to build roads that last a few centuries.

The UN military does nothing, just watches, while the shooting is going on. The 'militants lavalas' burned businesses downtown again, and were shooting at police while the Brazilian and Jordanian soldat watched. They parked in front of the Palais Nationale.

The ancien militaire have occupied some more provincial towns. Chasing out bandits. And the police. Lots of people welcome them. My folks in St Marc say that the police are cowards. Yo lash. Loose. They prefer the old military. So bizarre after rooting for their downfall 10 years ago.

This encroachment of the former army has inflamed the pov of la ville tho. The zone populaire downtown is where all the bandits hide. And where the gunmen come from today. Lots of shooting and burning of cars today, according to the radio. Gonna go down to PetionVille today. Do email, buy gasoline, go to the library, check the postal box. Twice a week is my schedule now.

Last week Lulu was coming up in the morne on the tap tap and passed a carjacking in Thomassin. We don't go anywhere at night. I was going to go to Jacmel to look at a Chevy four door pickup that Patrice is selling but it's too dangerous to go.

The immigration office doesn't have an officer in residence to submit an application to. To petition for Lucienne's residence. He left and they are waiting for someone else to take the job.

I'm starting to work on a resume to apply for a job with someone here. USAID, the UN, CARE, whatever. Janie suggests starting a school bus service. Service d'abonement. She says that people pay 100 u$d per month to have their children taken down to petionville to school. And returned, of course.

Tony went to Gonaives last week. He has a little orphanage in la plaine. They rented a dump truck and carried food. Brought back 7 children. The infant died after 6 days. Went in a convoy with UN escorts. Starving men hijack trucks that go alone. Food is only distributed to women. He asked me if I want to drive a bus to Gonaives next week. They are going to rent a bus and try to hide food on the floor. A quarter of a million people are starving in Gonaives and the surrounding countryside.

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14 october

Lots of shooting downtown. The UN army is finally starting to do something with the haitian national polis. but then the PNH isn't very good with fire control. Just like the old army.

Yesterday the former army announced that they were coming to PauP to restore order because the polis and UN couldn't do it. They had some sort of manifestation in uniform downtown.

Lucienne went down to get Nadia on tuesday. She was stuck in the house for hours with shooting going on. Down the hill a bit. Lots of fighting around the Cathedral and a bit north of there. Zone Belair. You've never been there. She says that there are Chimere Lavalas there as well as anti-chimere vigilance brigades. I heard the "committee de vigilance" on the radio. You hear chimere on the radio a lot, promising to keep fighting and cutting off heads until Aristide is returned to them.

Haven't done the bus to Gonaives. Tony hasn't called back. There is a convoy every day apparently, with UN guards. Local news of Gonaives has sortof fallen off the front page what with the war contra chimeres downtown.

===== J. David Lyall