The September 1988 Haitian coup d'état took place on 18 September 1988, when a group of non-commissioned officers in the

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

an Presidential Guard overthrew General Henri Namphy and brought General Prosper Avril to power. IACHR
REPORT ON THE SITUATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN HAITI
OEA/Ser.L/V/II.74 doc. 9 rev. 1, 7 September 1988 Namphy had been a member of the National Council of Government from 1986 until the February 1988 inauguration of Leslie Manigat, who had won the military-controlled 1988 general election. Namphy had overthrown Manigat in the June 1988 coup d'état when Manigat sought to exercise his constitutional right to control military assignments. The St. Jean Bosco massacre on 11 September, attributed to former

Tonton Macoute The Tonton Macoute () or simply the Macoute, was a Haitian paramilitary and secret police force created in 1959 by dictator François "Papa Doc" Duvalier. Haitians named this force after the Haitian mythological bogeyman, (" Uncle Gunnysa ...

, contributed to the September coup, particularly after Namphy failed to condemn it and six participants were allowed to appear on national television the following day and issue further threats. As the IACHR put it, "Many people were outraged that these individuals could appear on television, without any disguise, confess their participation in these events and threaten future criminal acts with no fear of being arrested by the authorities." In addition, there were fears that the massacre could be the beginning of the re-emergence of the

and potentially eclipse the army.

"In a brief prepared statement read in the name of the Presidential Guard at 2 a.m. Sunday morning, Sgt. Joseph Heubreux explained the coup as an attempt by non-commissioned officers to restore honor to the
Armed Forces of Haiti The Armed Forces of Haiti (, ) are the military forces of the Haiti, Republic of Haiti, is composed of the Haitian Army, the Haitian Navy, the Haitian Aviation Corps and also the BSAP. The Force has about 2000 active personnel as of 2023, with t ...
and to end a period of random violence and confusion in the army
chain of command A command hierarchy is a group of people who carry out orders based on others' authority within the group. Military chain of command In a military context, the chain of command is the line of authority and responsibility along which orders ...
under General Namphy. Sgt. Heubreux introduced the new head of state, Prosper Avril, as "the most honest officer" in the Haitian Armed forces. Lt. Gen. Prosper Avril stated that he accepted the nomination as President to "save the country from anarchy and chaos".

Avril had been removed from the National Council of Government in 1986 following demonstrations protesting his links to the previous regime of Jean-Claude Duvalier. The September coup brought him to the Presidency, and he remained there as head of a military regime until March 1990.

References

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September coup d'etat Military coups in Haiti Military history of Haiti September 1988 in North America