1970 Haitian coup attempt

Politico-military crisis in Haiti 1970 Haitian coup d'état attempt 24 April 1970 Port-au-Prince, Haiti File:PikiWiki Israel 136 papa doc haiti שליט האיטי פאפא דוק-cropd.jpg President François Duvalier, target of the Cayard mutiny. coup attempt fails Colonel Cayard and his men flee the country President Duvalier remained in power until his death in 1971. Haiti 1964 Haitian government Haiti 1859 Dissident faction of the Coast Guard Haiti 1964 François Duvalier Haiti 1859 Octave Cayard Armed Forces of Haiti Presidential Guard Dessalines Battalion Port-au-Prince Police Tonton Macoute National Security Volunteer Corps *Haitian Coast Guard * Armed forces: 5,185 men Presidential Guard: 400 men Dessalines Battalion: 800 men Port-au-Prince Police: 800 men Tonton Macoute: 1,500 men National Security Volunteer Corps: 5,000 - 7,000 men * Coast Guard: 118 men 1 surface craft (GC-10) 2 patrol craft * The Coast Guard flagship, GC–10, had a 76 mm cannon and 20 and 40 mm AA guns. Majority of the Coast Guard was loyal to Col. Octave Cayard. Only three of the six minor surface craft of the Coast Guard were operational. The 1970 Haitian coup attempt, also known as the Cayard affair,Affair Blain - Fordi9.com https://www.fordi9.com/Pages/AffairBlain.htm 2024-05-28 www.fordi9.com was a failed coup d'état by dissident elements of the Haitian Coast Guard, led by Colonel and Coast Guard Commandant Octave Cayard, against the François Duvalier dictatorship. Hastily executed, the coup attempt was prompted by government crackdowns that rounded up alleged coup plotters, making the conspirators believe government authorities were close to discovering their plans, thus the desperate move.Memorandum From Viron P. Vaky of the National Security Council to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1969-76ve10/d388 Office of the Historian Rather than obey orders from above to surrender some of his men suspected of being involved in his seditionist plot, Cayard instead defied them and finally initiated the planned coup attempt on April 24.Simons Marlise 1986-03-25 HAITI'S EXILES, RETURNING STEADILY, CARRY HOME FORMULAS FOR CHANGE https://www.nytimes.com/1986/03/25/world/haiti-s-exiles-returning-steadily-carry-home-formulas-for-change.html 2024-05-28 The New York Times en-US 0362-4331 At 9 AM, Cayard declared in a telephone call the seizure of the coast guard's largest vessels, including the GC-10, which was equipped with a 3 in flip cannon and armed with 20 mm and 40 mm anti-aircraft (AA) guns. Two other vessels were seized as well, both being small surface craft armed with AA guns of questionable quality. At 11:44 AM, the GC-10, the only ship with effective weaponry, began shelling the presidential palace from its position in the bay, firing at least eleven rounds. Only one of the rounds hit the palace. Aiming to initiate a larger rebellion, the uprising hoped for by the colonel did not materialize as the staunchly loyal armed forces showed no signs of dissent throughout the coup attempt. After having spent the whole day attacking the palace,Potomitan - My country is Haiti : a summary of Haiti 's history from colonial times to 1994 https://www.potomitan.info/vedrine/peyi2.php 2024-05-28 www.potomitan.info Colonel Cayard along with his 118 men decided to sail to the United States Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.Haiti 2976 https://www.cidh.org/annualrep/82.83eng/Haiti2976.htm 2024-05-28 www.cidh.org Their properties were later confiscated by the government, with the Tontons Macoutes ransacking the colonel's home and a printing company in which he was a shareholder of, seizing approximately $150,000 worth of equipment. The abortive mutiny by the Haitian Coast Guard is considered the last of several coup attempts against President François Duvalier that began with the 1958's Pasquet affair. On April 21, 1971, Duvalier died and was succeeded by his son Jean-Claude Duvalier.Tracy Stacy 1992 Attempts to Overthrow Papa Doc Duvalier http://www.webster.edu/~corbetre/haiti/history/duvaliers/overthrow.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20150622133246/http://www.webster.edu/~corbetre/haiti/history/duvaliers/overthrow.htm 2015-06-22 After the coup attempt, Cayard became a legendary figure among the Haitian people for his daring actions as Coast Guard Commander in opposing the Duvalier regime. Upon the colonel's return to Haiti in 1986 following the collapse of the regime, he was warmly welcomed by the public. Cayard expressed his desire to join the army and run for office yet was unsure about the exact path he would pursue. References 1970 Category:1970 in Haiti Category:1970s coups d'état Category:1970 conflicts