Return of "Baby Doc" mystifies Haitians

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier ensconced himself yesterday in a hotel following his surprise return Sunday to a country in deep crisis, leaving many to wonder whether the once-feared strongman would prompt renewed conflict in the midst of a political stalemate.

The former dictator met with allies inside the high-end hotel in the hills above downtown Port-au-Prince and spoke only through emissaries, who gave vague explanations for his sudden and mysterious appearance - nearly 25 years after he was forced into exile.

Henry Robert Sterlin, a former ambassador who said he was speaking on behalf of Duvalier, portrayed the 59-year-old former "president for life," as merely a concerned elder statesman who wanted to see the effects of the devastating Jan. 12, 2010, earthquake on his homeland.

"He was deeply hurt in his soul after the earthquake," Sterlin said. "He wanted to come back to see how is the actual Haitian situation of the people and the country."

Duvalier, who assumed power in 1971 at age 19 after the death of his father, François "Papa Doc" Duvalier, still has some support in Haiti and millions are too young to remember life under his dictatorship. But his abrupt return still sent shock waves through the country, with some fearing that his presence would bring back the extreme polarization and political violence of the past.

Said Jocelyn McCalla, a political analyst, "People are going to start talking about being pro- or anti-Duvalier . . . It intensifies the instability."

President René Préval said in 2007 that Duvalier would face justice for the deaths of thousands of people and the theft of millions of dollars if he returned. - AP