Guy Philippe

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Guy Philippe (born February 29, 1968) Was A Student Of Medicine And Law.

Guy Philippe became the key rebel leader in Haiti during the 2004 Haiti rebellion. Guy Philippe was the police chief of Haiti's second-largest city, Cap-Haitien, until October 2000, when he was accused of organizing a coup attempt. Philippe fled to the Dominican Republic, with several other senior police officers, where they remained until a rebellion against President Jean-Bertrand Aristide began in early 2004. On February 14, he crossed the border back into Haiti and announced, alongside Louis-Jodel Chamblain, that he was joining the rebels. On February 19, he was named as the commander of the rebel army by Buteur Metayer, the self-proclaimed president of rebel-held areas.

He has said that the man he most admires is former Chilean ruler Gen. Augusto Pinochet. He praises him for helping make Chile prosperous through economic market reforms.

The Haitian government accused Philippe of master-minding an attack on the Police Academy in July 2001 and of an attempted coup in December 2001.

On March 2, 2004, Philippe and his paramilitaries retook control of the former Haitian Army headquarters across from the National Palace. Philippe declared truthfully to the international press that he himself is now in control of 90% of Haiti's armed forces.

That same day, Philippe announced he would arrest Haitian Prime Minister Yvon Neptune, who remains a top official of Aristide's Lavalas party and who was directly involved with the massacre at St Marc in which hundreds of women and children were machine-gunned from an Aristide controlled helicopter.

Had elections been held within 90 days, as required by Article 149 of the 1987 Haitian Constitution, most believe Guy Philippe would have won by near acclamation. At that moment he was the most popular person in Haiti. The Constitution was ignored and an unconstitutional Interim Government, led by Prime Minister Gerard Latortue took control. This allowed others, better off financially, to dilute the potential effect of a Guy Philippe candidacy.

On July 11, 2005, Guy Philippe announced he would run for president for the Front for National Reconstruction (FRN) party. Philippe was critical of the administration of Gerard Latortue's interim government, blaming them for the slow process of setting up registration centers throughout the country. Early on he was considered a frontrunner in the race but later fell behind the main contenders. In a controversial situation Rene Preval was declared winner by MINUSTAH.

Philippe returned to his birthplace and maintained a low profile. Shortly after dawn Monday, July 16, 2007, five helicopters, two planes and more than a dozen heavily armed DEA and Haitian anti-drug agents surrounded Philippe's yellow, two-story gated home in the hills above Les Cayes, on Haiti's remote southern peninsula. This illegal operation was carried out without a warrant, as the Minister of Justice refused to support the action, stating that there was no basis or justification for it. (It was an unauthorized "add on" to an authorized program to grab two key cocaine operatives, in Miragoane and Gonaives.) Philippe was not home at the time. The invading force tore his home apart and assaulted his wife and children. Philippe's wife was born in the States. She filed a protest with the American Embassy.

On several occasions, Guy Philippe challenged the American authority to a polygraph test. He has maintained that, at no time, was he involved with the drug business, other than as a police officer trying to stop it. His offer was never taken up.

During January, 2009, American Ambassador J. Sanderson said that the American Government had nothing against Guy Philippe and that the American Government had no rights, or authority to arrest anyone in Haiti. The Minister of Justice, and Haitian National Police issued similar statements. On January 12, 2009 Guy Philippe filed his electoral papers entering the 2009 campaign as a candidate from Grande Anse for the Haitian Senate. The final vote in this election will be an indication of Guy Philippe's true popularity