Recent Events in Haitian History

Recent events in Haitian history:

Dec. 16, 1990 -- Jean-Bertrand Aristide becomes Haiti’s first democratically elected president after nearly 30 years of dictatorship under the Duvalier family.

Sept. 30, 1991 -- The army overthrows Aristide’s government, forcing the president into exile in the United States.

Sept. 19, 1994 -- U.S. troops intervene to restore Aristide to power.

Feb. 6, 1995 -- Aristide disbands the Haitian army and replaces it with a civilian police force.

Dec. 23, 1995 -- Rene Preval, Aristide’s protege, elected president. Term limit prohibits Aristide from running.

May 21, 2000 -- Aristide’s Lavalas Family party sweeps legislative elections that observers say were flawed. The international community puts millions in foreign aid on hold until results are revised.

Nov. 26, 2000 -- Aristide wins a second term as president in elections boycotted by major opposition parties who claimed fraud in the legislative elections.

Dec. 17, 2001 -- Gunmen raid the national palace in what the government calls a coup attempt. Opponents say the government staged the attack to distract attention from its shortcomings.

Oct. 29, 2002 -- More than 200 illegal Haitian migrants jump overboard and rush onto a major Miami highway, bringing attention to the plight of a people desperate to escape the unending violence created by Haiti’s politics and poverty.

September 2003 -- A wave of protests begin against Aristide, spreading across the country. Dozens are killed and injured in clashes between police and government opponents.

Feb. 5, 2004 -- Armed rebels seize control of Gonaives, Haiti’s fourth-largest city, starting a popular uprising that threatens Aristide’s presidency.

Feb. 16, 2004 -- Ex-soldiers returned from exile in the Dominican Republic seize the strategically located central town of Hinche.

Feb. 21, 2004 -- An international delegation visits to press for a truce. Aristide agrees to share power, but his political opponents insist he must step down. The foreign diplomats leave without an agreement.

Feb. 22, 2004 -- Rebels seize Cap-Haitien, Haiti’s second-largest city, and vow to press on to the capital, Port-au-Prince.

Feb. 29, 2004 -- Aristide resigns and flees into exile.