Prosper Avril
| Prosper Avril | |
|---|---|
| President of Haiti | |
|
In office September 17, 1988 – March 10, 1990 |
|
| Preceded by | Henri Namphy |
| Succeeded by | Hérard Abraham |
| Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Haiti | |
|
In office September 19, 1988 – March 10, 1990 |
|
| President | Himself |
| Preceded by | Carl-Michel Nicholas |
| Succeeded by | Herard Abraham |
| Member of the Provisional Government of Haiti | |
|
In office February 7, 1987 – March 21, 1987 |
|
| President | Henri Namphy |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Matthieu Prosper Avril December 12, 1937 Thomazeau, Haiti |
| Nationality | Haitian |
| Spouse(s) | Marie-Ange Nazon |
Matthieu Prosper Avril (born December 12, 1937) is a Haitian political figure who was President of Haiti from 1988 to 1990. A trusted member of François Duvalier's Presidential Guard and adviser to Jean-Claude Duvalier, Lt. Gen. Avril led the September 1988 Haitian coup d'état against a transition military government installed after Jean-Claude Duvalier's 1986 overthrow. He was President until March 1990, in a period which according to Amnesty International was "marred by serious human rights violations". He was arrested in 2001, but released in March 2004 after the 2004 Haitian coup d'état overthrew Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
Avril was born in the small town of Thomazeau, near Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince.
The academic source Webster University states regarding General Prosper Avril; "Avril joined the Presidential Guard in 1969 and Papa Doc nicknamed Avril the "intelligent Prosper Avril." In 1971 Avril profited from the shift of power from François to Jean-Claude Duvalier and from weapons procurement and other programs in the 70s (he was later offered asylum by the Israeli government) and was entrusted by the Duvaliers as their "bagman" with management of much of their overseas portfolio. He was "the only person other than the Duvaliers themselves with signature authority over their foreign accounts."
Avril was forced into retirement by Jean-Claude Duvalier in 1983, but reinstated and promoted to Colonel in 1986, in the face of the popular revolt which would ultimately see Duvalier overthrown. Avril's 1986 joining of Henri Namphy's interim military junta saw protest demonstrations, and he was forced to resign; but he quickly returned, and assisted Namphy in the June 1988 Haitian coup d'état which overthrew Leslie Manigat, who had been elected in military-controlled elections and took office in February 1988.
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