Today in Haitian History - November 28, 1985 – Murder of students in Gonaïves by state forces
Already in the early 1980s, the Duvalier regime began to show important signs of its eventual downfall. Indeed, despite the government’s attempt at boosting the exploits of the “jeanclaudiste” revolution, which was presented as the less violent economic turn of the political revolution initiated by Duvalier senior in 1957, this façade of progress changed little to the life of most Haitians. By 1984, the combined effects of years of repression, a declining economy, the significant increase in the price of living and the serious problem of food shortage all led to popular mobilisation against the most repressive aspect of duvalierism. These early protests decried the worsening of living conditions but as the year went on, began to take a much more political character. In November 1985, this desperate cry against duvalierism led to the murder of three (some like Trouillot [1990] claim four) students in the Gonaïves region by government forces. This latest case of state-sponsored violence galvanised the country. In the words of historian Laurent Dubois (2012) “somehow, after all the tens of thousands of killings, after the decades of political repression and poverty that had sent more than a million fleeing Haiti, these three murders tipped the scale. Students poured into the streets in Gonaïves and other towns; fifty thousand protesters marched in Le Cap.”
From then on, events moved quickly. In December 1985, the American State Department, often criticised for its, at times, extremely conciliatory attitude towards the hereditary Haitian dictatorship, announced that it would review and potentially withdraw foreign assistance to the Caribbean nation. In January 1986, anti-government demonstrations occurred in many parts of the country such as Petit-Goâve, Léogâne and Aux Cayes. The same month, the Haitian army began to disavow the regime. Despite a last-minute ill-advised attempt at implementing some reforms, Jean-Claude Duvalier could not regain control of the situation. Secret negotiations between Washington and Duvalier were underway. On February 7, 1986, Jean-Claude Duvalier left Haiti. This was the end of a twenty-nine-year dictatorship which by some estimates led to the death and/or forced disappearance of 300 000 to 500 000 individuals.
Jean-Claude Duvalier, 1972. Image Courtesy: Le Monde.
