U.S. Marines in Haiti, Aristide flees to Africa

U.S. Marines in Haiti, Aristide flees to Africa

Jim Loney and Alistair Scrutton, Reuters, Port-au-Prince

U.S. Marines flew into the chaotic Haitian capital after
President Jean-Bertrand Aristide fled into exile in Africa on
Monday, driven out by a bloody revolt and foreign pressure.

The sounds of gunfire, looting and celebration rang out in
Port-au-Prince as Aristide was escorted to the airport on Sunday
by heavily-armed U.S. guards. He arrived early on Monday in
Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic, witnesses said.

South Africa said it would consider a request for political
asylum from Aristide but had not yet received one.

Just minutes after the UN Security Council authorized the
deployment of a multinational force, the first of several hundred
Marines ordered in by U.S. President George W. Bush arrived in
Port-au-Prince to prevent armed insurgents making a grab for
power.

"This is the beginning of a new chapter in the country's
history," Bush said.

Aristide -- whose battle to end decades of dictatorship once
made him a hero of Haitian democracy but has since faced
accusations of corruption and political violence -- said he had
resigned to avert "a bloodbath".

Within hours, Haitian Chief Justice Boniface Alexandre was
named to replace him as laid out in the constitution.

Mayhem gripped the ramshackle capital of 2 million people -- a
quarter of Haiti's impoverished population. Looters ransacked
stores, hard-core criminals escaped from prison and the first
rebels to arrive went on a wild ride around town in pickup
trucks, hugging the people they came to liberate.

Bush ordered the deployment of U.S. Marines to serve as the
vanguard of a multinational security force. It was the third
major deployment of U.S. troops to Haiti in the past century. Ten
years ago President Bill Clinton sent 20,000 Marines to restore
Aristide to power after he had been ousted in a coup.

More than 120 French troops were due to arrive on Monday, and
Canada, which has about 50 troops in Haiti, said it could send
another 100 at short notice. Brazil is expected to contribute to
the force, given an initial three-month mandate.

Aristide, 50, left after an uprising that began 24 days ago
crept close to Port-au-Prince.

The United States, which along with former colonial power
France had called on Aristide to quit to help bring an end to the
crisis in the poorest country in the Americas, urged rebels to
lay down their arms.

The rebels promised to cooperate and stop fighting.
Guy Philippe, an ex-police chief accused of fomenting earlier
coup attempts and who joined the revolt, told CNN's "Late
Edition" program he welcomed the Marines.

"We are waiting for them. We need them," Philippe said. "They
will have full cooperation."

The rebellion, which capped months of simmering political
tension, began in the western city of Gonaives, led by a street
gang that once supported Aristide.

It spread over the north of the country and killed more than
70 people, including at least five men found dead in Port-au-
Prince on Sunday as opponents of the president hunted down his
dreaded "chimeres" -- street toughs armed by Aristide to enforce
his will in the country's sprawling slums.

The departure of Aristide, who had insisted he would serve out
his second term to 2006, was arranged by U.S. officials.

He initially traveled to the Dominican Republic, which shares
the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, and then to the eastern
Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda.

Witnesses in the Central African Republic said they saw
Aristide arrive at Mpoko airport in Bangui on Monday. It was not
clear if he planned to seek refuge in the impoverished nation.

South African Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad told
reporters his country would consider any request for political
asylum from Aristide.

"If and when this happens, cabinet will have to take a
decision," Pahad said.

South Africa -- which holds national elections on April 14 in
which asylum for the former Haitian leader could become a
campaign issue -- had backed Aristide and said on Sunday his
forced departure from power did "not bode well for democracy".

The Caribbean Community, which had been at the forefront of
efforts to broker peace, deplored Aristide's "removal" and
questioned the constitutionality of his replacement by Alexandre
as there was no parliament to approve it.