FILE – Man Philippe smiles throughout an interview in Pestel, Haiti, Aug. 24, 2016. Philippe returned to Haiti on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023, after the U.S. authorities deported him. (AP Picture/Dieu Nalio Chery, File)
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Infamous coup chief Man Philippe returned to Haiti on Thursday after the U.S. authorities repatriated him, sparking issues that his presence might unleash additional upheaval in a rustic already reeling from gang violence and political instability.
It wasn’t clear what function, if any, Philippe anticipated to play upon his return to Haiti, which is underneath siege by gangs that grew extraordinarily highly effective within the political vacuum created by the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.
Philippe was a charismatic chief who was instrumental within the 2004 insurrection in opposition to former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and had highly effective ties to police, politicians and the enterprise elite, stated Robert Fatton, a Haitian politics skilled and professor on the College of Virginia.
“Whether or not these sorts of ties will likely be revised, it’s not clear. What could be very clear is that Man Philippe has at all times seen himself as some form of a messianic determine who ought to lead Haiti,” Fatton stated.
Philippe’s legal professional, Jean Joseph Louicher, confirmed to The Related Press that Philippe arrived within the capital of Port-au-Prince on Thursday morning.
“We’ve been combating for 4 years to scale back the sentence of Man Philippe to convey him dwelling,” he stated, referring to a cash laundering cost he pleaded responsible to within the U.S.
Louicher stated he was ready for Philippe to be processed as required by protocol and launched by Haitian authorities and migration officers “so he can go dwelling safely to his household at this time.”
Philippe, who was wearing a grey jumpsuit, was seen strolling into Haiti’s Nationwide Police station as he held up a hand to greet a small group of supporters yelling, “Our father!” Hours later, he remained inside. Police who weren’t approved to speak to the media instructed The Related Press that Philippe had an excellent warrant stemming from a 2016 deadly assault on a police station within the southwest coastal metropolis of Les Cayes. It was not clear if Philippe was detained.
He couldn’t be instantly reached for remark, and his legal professional stated he hadn’t been granted entry to the police station the place Philippe was taken.
Philippe as soon as served as police chief for the northern coastal metropolis of Cap-Haitien and was later accused of masterminding assaults on police stations and different targets whereas in exile within the Dominican Republic.
He returned to Haiti in 2004 and led a band of rebels that captured Cap-Haitien as he joined an rebellion that led to the ouster of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
Philippe was arrested in Haiti in January 2017 whereas taking part in a stay radio speak present. He had not too long ago been elected to Haiti’s Senate, and authorities whisked him shortly to the airport to keep away from potential riots protesting his extradition to the U.S.
The previous insurgent chief was nabbed after years of efficiently eluding arrest and failed raids on his distant dwelling in Haiti’s western coastal area that concerned U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration brokers and helicopters.
In a 2016 interview with The Associated Press at his stronghold in Pestel, Philippe stated he was harmless of any crimes and that he would combat any legislation enforcement that attempted to seize him.
Shortly after his 2017 arrest, Philippe appeared before a federal judge in Miami to face decade-old U.S. drug expenses together with cocaine trafficking conspiracy and cash laundering.
In June 2017, he was sentenced to 9 years in jail after pleading responsible to a cash laundering cost.
Authorities stated that Philippe, a former high-ranking official with Haiti’s Nationwide Police, had used his place to offer safety for drug shipments in trade for money. Officers stated he acknowledged receiving as much as $3.5 million in bribes.
Fatton, the professor, famous that Philippe has given interviews lately during which he “very clearly stated he intends to return to Haiti and be concerned in Haiti, and even rather more than he was once.”
Fatton stated that whereas he expects Philippe to play a task in Haitian politics, there’s a variety of uncertainty concerning his future as many Haitians query why the U.S. selected to repatriate him “when you could have a moderately explosive scenario within the nation.”
It’s additionally unclear whether or not Philippe may need any connections with former police officers who turned highly effective gang leaders, together with Jimmy Chérizier, best known as “Barbecue.”
Philippe was launched from jail on Sept. 7, based on court docket paperwork. Within the weeks that adopted, Haitians in and close to his former stronghold organized protests, blocked roads and demanded that the federal government present Philippe journey paperwork so he might return to his native nation.
Philippe’s supporters additionally embody former Haitian President Michel Martelly, who continues to be thought of a strong, behind-the-scenes political participant.
On Thursday, a couple of dozen supporters carrying T-shirts that learn “Man Philippe” on the entrance and “Let’s put our fingers collectively to save lots of Haiti” crowded across the entrance of Haiti’s most important worldwide airport to get a glimpse of the previous insurgent chief. None of them wished to present their names, however they stated Philippe must be allowed to take part in upcoming normal elections which have been repeatedly delayed. A date has not been set.
“One must wait and see what his return means, if something in any respect,” Alex Dupuy, a Haiti-born sociologist and former professor at Wesleyan College in Middletown, Connecticut, stated in an interview. “He’s not going to be essentially the principal actor within the drama that’s happening in Haiti and the terrible political scenario.”
Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Related Press videographer Pierre-Richard Luxama in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and Related Press reporters Eric Tucker and Rebecca Santana in Washington D.C. contributed.
