Amiot Métayer
Encyclopedia
Amiot Métayer was a gang leader in Haïti
. His gang, based in the northern city of Gonaïves
, was called the "Cannibal Army". Although he had once supported Haïtian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide
, the government arrested him for arson
on May 21, 2002. He was, however, freed from jail by members of his gang in August 2002 and proceeded to lead anti-government riots. He was found murdered in September 2003, and his supporters accused Aristide of having ordered his death.
In March 2004, following a successful rebellion against Aristide in February (of which Buteur Métayer
, Amiot's brother, was a leader), newly appointed Haïtian prime minister Gérard Latortue
visited Gonaïves and paid tribute to Métayer, calling for a moment of silence to remember him.
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
. His gang, based in the northern city of Gonaïves
Gonaïves
Gonaïves is a city in northern Haiti, the capital of the Artibonite Department. It has a population of about 104,825 people . The city's name derives from the original Amerindian name of Gonaibo. It is also known as Haïti's "independence city"...
, was called the "Cannibal Army". Although he had once supported Haïtian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide is a Haitian former Catholic priest and politician who served as Haiti's first democratically elected president. A proponent of liberation theology, Aristide was appointed to a parish in Port-au-Prince in 1982 after completing his studies...
, the government arrested him for arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
on May 21, 2002. He was, however, freed from jail by members of his gang in August 2002 and proceeded to lead anti-government riots. He was found murdered in September 2003, and his supporters accused Aristide of having ordered his death.
In March 2004, following a successful rebellion against Aristide in February (of which Buteur Métayer
Buteur Métayer
Buteur Métayer was a rebel leader in Haïti during the 2004 Haïti rebellion.Following the assassination of his brother, Amiot Métayer, in 2003, he became the leader of his brother's gang, then known as the "Cannibal Army"...
, Amiot's brother, was a leader), newly appointed Haïtian prime minister Gérard Latortue
Gérard Latortue
Gérard Latortue was the Prime Minister of Haïti from March 12, 2004 to June 9, 2006. He was an official in the United Nations for many years, and briefly served as foreign minister of Haïti during the short-lived 1988 administration of Leslie Manigat.In February 2004, the country suffered a coup...
visited Gonaïves and paid tribute to Métayer, calling for a moment of silence to remember him.