Fanmi Lavalas, a populist leftist political party in Haiti, formed in 1996 by Aristide and his supporters
The first Muslim to hold the position in Haïti, he was formerly affiliated with the now defunct Lavalas Family political party of ex-President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
The Central Intelligence Agency was believed to be behind a coup plot after it was revealed that the National Institute for Democracy, a US Congress-funded organization played a major role by funding opponents of the Lavalas government.
RAM and other rasin bands were strongly identified with Aristide and his political party, Lavalas.
Fanmi Lavalas | Lavalas |
Reports from pro-Lavalas sources, as well as journalists such as Kevin Pina, contend that the raid targeted civilians and was an attempt to destroy the popular support for Haiti's exiled former leader, Aristide, before scheduled upcoming elections.