Haiti’s leaders allow Aristide’s return after US threat
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On September 18, 1994, Haiti’s military leaders, including General Raoul Cédras, agreed to give up power and let democratically elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide return to the country.
This agreement came after a 1991 military coup removed Aristide from office and followed years of attempts by international groups to restore Haiti’s government. Former U.S.
President Jimmy Carter, Senator Sam Nunn, and General Colin Powell traveled to Haiti at the request of President Bill Clinton to negotiate with the military leaders while a 25,000-person U.S. military operation, called Operation Uphold Democracy, was prepared. The delegation met with Haitian officials through the night, facing a near breakdown in talks when Haitian leaders discovered U.S. troops were approaching the country. Carter appealed to Haiti’s provisional president, Émile Jonassaint, who then committed to choosing peace.
Cédras and Jonassaint signed an agreement committing the military to stepping down and allowing Aristide to return by October 15. Although the U.S. military operation continued, it shifted from preparing for an invasion to supporting a peaceful transfer of power. Aristide ultimately returned to Haiti on October 15, 1994, and the U.S. operation transitioned into a U.N. mission, with Haiti later holding presidential elections in 1995.
