Key Facts
- US troops deployed
- 25,000
- Aircraft carriers assigned
- 2
- Operation start date
- 19 September 1994
- UN authorization
- Security Council Resolution 940, 31 July 1994
- MNF handover to UNMIH
- 31 March 1995
Strategic Narrative Overview
By September 1994, the US had assembled 25,000 troops and two aircraft carriers for a forced entry operation. On 17 September, a delegation led by former President Jimmy Carter arrived in Haiti and negotiated a last-minute agreement with the junta. The military regime agreed to relinquish power, converting the mission from an assault to a peaceful transition. Cédras met US commander Hugh Shelton on 20 September, and the multinational force secured the country without significant combat.
01 / The Origins
Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Haiti's first freely elected president, was overthrown in a 1991 military coup led by Raoul Cédras. The United States and the Organization of American States responded with economic sanctions, while UN- and OAS-brokered negotiations in 1993 failed to restore civilian rule. The US pursued a dual strategy of military preparation and diplomatic pressure, ultimately securing UN Security Council Resolution 940—the first UN authorization of force to restore democracy.
03 / The Outcome
Aristide returned to Haiti on 15 October 1994, resuming the presidency. A US-led Multinational Force in Haiti, which included troops from several other nations, oversaw the transition period. Command was transferred to the United Nations Mission in Haiti on 31 March 1995. New elections were subsequently held, completing the formal restoration of democratic governance that the operation had been authorized to achieve.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Hugh Shelton, Jimmy Carter (negotiator).
Side B
1 belligerent
Raoul Cédras.