Violent clashes that erupted in Port-au-Prince at the beginning of October continued to convulse parts of the capital throughout the last quarter of 2004 and into January 2005. The upsurge in unrest was sparked by confrontation in central Port-au-Prince on September 30th between the Police National Haitien (PNH), the national police force, and several thousand people demonstrating in support of the exiled president, Jean- Bertrand Aristide, on the anniversary of the military coup that ousted him for the first time in 1991.