Faced with an armed rebellion and pressured by the United States and France, Haitian President Mr Jean-Bertrand Aristide left his troubled Caribbean country today, saying he wanted to avert bloodshed.
The US ambassador to Haiti said international military forces "will rapidly be in Haiti" and urged the rebels who forced out the president to lay down their arms. This evening a US military source said US troops will land in Haiti "today".
Mr Aristide, whose role in a popular uprising that ended decades of dictatorship in the 1980s once made him a hero of Haitian democracy, left early this morning, 24 days after the uprising began in the poorest country in the Americas.
His destination was unclear but first reports said he flew initially to the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti.
Within hours, Haitian Chief Justice Boniface Alexandre was named as his replacement as laid out in the constitution. But turmoil continued in the streets, with armed gangs looting the capital and rebels poised to advance from other towns.
Prime Minister Mr Yvon Neptune read a statement by Mr Aristide in which he said he resigned "to avoid bloodshed." With the rebels closing in on the sprawling capital, Port-au-Prince, many had feared a bloody battle for control between them and Aristide's militant supporters.
Speaking at a ceremony at Neptune's home, US Ambassador Mr James Foley said international military forces would "rapidly be in Haiti" and urged the rebels to lay down their arms.
Mr Foley said Mr Aristide departed at 6:15 a.m. (local time). The Haitian consul in neighboring Dominican Republic said Mr Aristide was probably traveling to Morocco, but Morocco said it would not grant him political asylum.
Unconfirmed media reports from Haiti said Mr Aristide had been escorted to a private plane by US military personnel. Some said he may be taken to Panama.
Reaction to news of Mr Aristide's departure in the streets of Port-au-Prince, was swift and angry.
Armed bands of "chimeres," the most militant and ruthless of Mr Aristide's supporters from the slums roamed the city in pickup trucks, armed with shotguns and other weapons.
A US official in Washington said Mr Aristide's departure had averted a bloodbath. "We managed to stave that off. But we are heading into another dangerous period because any vacuum in Haiti could also be dangerous," he said.
Mr Aristide's departure came under pressure from the United States, France and other nations for him to resign and end the revolt, which has killed nearly 70 people.
The Aristide militants had been set to give the rebels a tough fight if they did move in, and the city had descended into chaos in recent days. Many foreigners fled this week.
The United States, which invaded the country in 1994 to restore Mr Aristide to power, has been criticized for acting too slowly in the current crisis. It failed last week to negotiate a compromise between the politicians in Port-au-Prince meant to avert a collapse of the government.
But by the end of the week Washington had made clear it had lost faith in Mr Aristide and his departure was a matter of time. The Pentagon warned that 2,000 Marines were on alert and could be in Haiti in two days.
Rumors of Aristide's departure had spread through the Haitian capital yesterday, sparked by reports of a late-night meeting at the National Palace involving Mr Aristide, US ambassador Mr James Foley and other officials.