Former Dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier Returns to Haiti

The man known as “Baby Doc” ruled the country for a disastrous 15-year period before being ousted in 1986.

This is probably not going to make the situation in Haiti any better. Duvalier reportedly touched down in Port-au-Prince Sunday on a flight from Paris, arriving at a time when the country is embroiled in a political crisis following disputed elections last November. Duvalier took power in 1971 upon the death of his father, Francois “Papa Doc” Duvalier, and continued his father’s autocratic policies with the help of the infamous secret police force known as Tonton Macoutes. Duvalier declared himself president-for-life and lived in luxury while poverty decimated his people, causing over 500,000 desperate Haitians to flee the country before he was forced from power by massive protests and international pressure. The motive for his return is not yet clear.