Creation of the Tonton Macoutes

In 1959, François Duvalier created the Volunteers for National Security (VSN), popularly known as the Tonton Macoutes — named after a Haitian folklore figure who kidnaps children. The force was designed as a personal paramilitary outside the military's chain of command, loyal directly to Duvalier and paid through extortion rather than a state salary. Macoutes enforced Duvalier's rule through assassination, torture, rape, and property destruction, targeting political opponents, intellectuals, journalists, and anyone who challenged the regime. They were identified by their blue denim uniforms, dark glasses, and machetes. Their terror drove an estimated 300,000 Haitians into exile. After Jean-Claude Duvalier's fall in 1986, the Macoutes were targeted during the Dechoukaj (uprooting) by mobs seeking revenge.