On this day in ...... 1991, military leaders took control of Haiti, ousting the elected President, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, and sending him into exile in France. Contending that "[a]fter seven months of democratic experience, the country once again finds itself a prey to the horrors of uncertainty," Brig. Gen. Raul Cedras said in a broadcast. "Today, the armed forces find themselves obligated to assume the heavy responsibility to keep the ship of state afloat." The coup took place just days after Aristide's return from his speech before the U.N. General Assembly and a celebration among Haiti's New York-based diaspora. The junta would rule for 3 years, until the arrival of a U.N. backed multinational force, and the eventual restoration of elected governments.
