Haitian leader General Raoul Cedras resigns in favour of exiled President Jean

Haiti's recorded history began with the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492. The island was named Hispaniola and became the territory of the Spanish crown until the western part of the island, Saint Domigue, was claimed by the French. Sugar, tobacco and cotton were cultivated and this required intensive labour in the form of slaves. The system of slavery on this island was of a particularly cruel nature, leading to the slave revolt of 1791, also known as the Haitian Revolution. Haiti emerged as an independent republic in 1804, but faced a number of political challenges. These challenges were faced by foreign intervention, particularly that of the United States. A dictatorship led by Dr. FranÁƒÂƒÂ§ois Duvalier (known as Pappa Doc) resulted an oppressive and corrupt regime, which sparked yet another rebellion, and Dulavier's eventual exile. A number of provisional governments followed, but by 1990, a new constitution had been adopted and the charismatic Jean-Bertrand Aristid had been elected as president. The following year, however, he was overthrown in a violent coup, and was replaced by General Raoul CÁƒÂƒ©dras. Aristid was forced into exile, and more than 40, 000 Haitians fled to the United States in search of refuge. With United States intervention, Gen Raoul Cedras agreed to resign on 10 October 1994, paving the way for Aristid's return. After a tumultuous presidency, anti-Aristid protests sparked yet another rebellion. Aristid sought refuge in South Africa while RenÁƒÂƒ© PrÁƒÂƒ©val became the new president of Haiti. South African has been criticised for providing refuge to Aristid due to the poor human rights record of Haiti under his presidency. Read more on : The Haiti Archives