Haiti, 1968 — rebel coup attempt
Event Summary
The dataset records an event coded as an attempted rebel coup in Haiti on 20 May 1968, during the entrenched dictatorship of President for Life Francois Duvalier, whose regime faced a series of exile invasions and air raids in that year. In 1968 Haitian exiles based abroad mounted armed incursions aiming to topple Duvalier, including a notable air and land operation. On 20 May 1968 exile pilots flew over Port au Prince and dropped bombs, and a small invasion force landed at Cap Haitien in the north in an attempt to spark a rising.
The Tonton Macoutes militia and the army suppressed the incursion, as they had every previous challenge. Duvalier survived, tightened his grip through terror, and ruled until his death in April 1971, when his teenage son Jean-Claude succeeded him as President for Life, continuing the family dictatorship until 1986.
Researched Details
Researched
Independent research, added record by record. Hover any label for what it means.
Sources
Editorial Note
Cross-Reference
Only one dataset carries it. One of the three reference datasets we check against carries this event; the others do not list it. That is not a contradiction — the datasets cover different periods and use different thresholds — but it means the record has had less outside corroboration.
Identifiers for finding this same event in the other datasets:
- Cline Center id
04105201968
How the match is made is described in crossref-report.md.
Outcome and Target
Coup Atlas research identifies the target as: President Francois Duvalier survived the 1968 exile incursion and ruled until his death in 1971.
Baseline coding: Coup attempt failed to remove the incumbent. Recorded leader fate: remained in office; not physically harmed. The baseline file does not name individual targets; researched names are kept in a separate layer.
Baseline Dataset Citation
Baseline Source-Document Entries
CSP
New York Times
This is the citation trail carried by the baseline dataset, grouped by outlet and rejoined from the line-wrapped original. Coup Atlas has not independently re-checked every document; read the original before citing a specific claim. URLs the import damaged beyond safe repair are shown as plain text and listed in citations-report.md. How this list is built →