Tonton Macoute
The Tonton Macoute (Haitian Creole: Tonton Makout) or simply the Macoute was a Haitian paramilitary and secret police force created in 1959 by dictator François "Papa Doc" Duvalier. Haitians named this force after the Haitian mythological bogeyman, Tonton Macoute ("Uncle Gunnysack"), who kidnaps and punishes unruly children by snaring them in a gunny sack (macoute) before carrying them off to be consumed for breakfast. The Macoute were known for their brutality, state terrorism, and assassinations. In 1970, the militia was renamed the Volontaires de la Sécurité Nationale (VSN, English: National Security Volunteers). Though formally disbanded in 1986, its members continued to terrorize the country.
| Tonton Macoute Tonton Makout | |
| Paramilitary organization overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1959 |
| Preceding agencies |
|
| Dissolved | 1986 |
| Superseding agency |
|
| Jurisdiction | Haiti |
| Headquarters | Port-au-Prince |
| Paramilitary organization executives | |
| Parent paramilitary organization | PUN |
| Agency ID | VSN |
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