Henri Namphy, General and Head of State, Born 94 Years Ago

Henri Namphy, the soldier who led the country after the fall of the Duvaliers, was born 94 years ago, on November 2, 1932, in Grande-Rivière-du-Nord.

Head of the National Governing Council

After the Duvaliers left in 1986, a military junta took power under his leadership. Namphy chaired the National Governing Council from February 6, 1986, to February 7, 1988. The first version of the council included Colonels Williams Régala, Max Vallès and Prosper Avril, as well as Gérard Gourgue and Alix Cinéas. After Gérard Gourgue resigned, a second council was installed on March 21, 1986, still chaired by Namphy. Nicknamed "Ti-blan," he restored some freedoms and modernized the army, but his regime was seen as dictatorial, and the crackdown on protests left blood on the streets.

Aborted Elections

The vote scheduled for November 29, 1987, was prevented by an armed group. The one held in January 1988, organized by the army, was boycotted, and the elected president, Leslie François Manigat, had to go into exile two months later. In June 1988, a coup returned Namphy to power.

Fall and Exile

On September 17, 1988, General Prosper Avril overthrew him in turn. Stripped of the army's support, Namphy left political life and withdrew to the South. After the 1990 elections, he went into exile in the Dominican Republic, where he died on June 26, 2018.