There is a bit of hope on the horizon. According to the Associated Press, self styled "General Toutou," one of the most powerful armed gang leaders linked to [Aristide], said he'd be willing to give himself up if United Nations peacekeepers would guarantee his safety. "If the (U.N. mission) is ready to guarantee our security, we'd be ready to give up the fight," said Toutou," whose real name is unknown. Government officials have accused "Toutou" of involvement in the slaying of prominent Le Matin journalist Jacques Roche along with dozens of other killings and kidnapings. "Toutou" has denied any connection with Roche's death.
Within the framework of the vast campaign led collectively by the former Haitian president, from his exile in South Africa, his partisans and sympathizers as well as personalities and bribed organizations, in Haiti and abroad, to defeat the election process, is the stepped up strategy to have Mr. Neptune released. This strategy is entirely consistent with the logic according to which Lavalas would have no luck in imposing itself on the political scene if the next ballot were to be organized in a context where the high dignitaries of the former regime are called upon to answer charges before the courts. Obviously, the eventual indictment of Yvon Neptune, the highest Lavalas official involved in the crime of the La Scierie massacre, will without doubt also implicate Mr. [Jean-Bertrand Aristide] himself. The lawsuit, which would possibly be determined by the committing magistrate of Saint Marc, the jurisdiction which has the responsibility for handling the case, will put the whole Lavalas regime on the stand. Thus the doggedness to resort to obtain the "unconditional" release of the exPrime Minister by all means possible.
