Roger Lafontant Roger Lafontant Roger Lafontant (1931–September 29, 1991) was the former leader of the Tonton Macoutes and the former Minister of dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier. He was the leader of an attempted coup d'état on January 1991, in Haiti, an effort which ultimately lead to his death. As a student studying to become a gynecologist, he founded the student branch of the Tontons Macoutes, which supported dictatorship under President François Duvalier and his son Jean-Claude Duvalier. In November 1972, he became Minister of the Interior and National Defense Jean-Claude Duvalier was then rejected because of his personal ambitions. Lafontant was then sent
Jean-Claude Duvalier contributed to increased popular mobilization and expanded political and social activism. A revolt began in the provinces in 1985. The city of Gonaïves was the first to have street demonstrations and raids on food-distribution warehouses. From October 1985 to January 1986, the protests spread to six other cities, including Cap-Haïtien. By the end of that month, Haitians in the south had revolted. The most significant rioting there broke out in Les Cayes. Duvalier responded with a 10 percent cut in staple food prices, the closing of independent radio stations, a cabinet reshuffle, and a crackdown by police and army units,