Human Rights Watch details deaths and injuries of police drone attacks in Haiti

Drone Strikes Kill Over 1,200 in Haiti as Security Crisis Deepens

Haitian security forces and private contractors have killed at least 1,243 people and injured 738 others in drone strikes over a ten-month period, according to a new report released Tuesday by Human Rights Watch.

The attacks, which occurred between March 2025 and January 2026, have resulted in the deaths of 17 children and 43 adults not believed to be affiliated with any criminal groups. At least 49 civilians were among the injured, the rights group reported.

“Haitian authorities should urgently rein in the security forces and private contractors working for them before more children die,” said Juanita Goebertus, Americas director at Human Rights Watch, in a statement accompanying the report.

The report highlights a sharp escalation in drone warfare tactics in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, where gangs control approximately 90% of the territory. Between November 2025 and late January 2026, authorities documented 57 drone attacks—nearly double the 29 attacks recorded from August through October 2025.

Human Rights Watch researchers analyzed seven videos showing armed quadcopter drones in action, geolocating four to Port-au-Prince. “The videos show the repeated use of drones equipped with explosives to attack vehicles and people, some of them armed, but none who appear to be engaged in violent acts or pose any imminent threat to life,” the group stated.

The most lethal single drone operation resulted in 57 fatalities, according to the report.

One particularly devastating attack occurred on September 20, 2025, in Simon Pele, an impoverished neighborhood controlled by a gang of the same name. Nine people, including three children, were killed and at least eight others injured when a drone struck as the gang leader was preparing to distribute gifts to local children.

The report quotes a resident recalling how the explosion severed both feet from a baby. The mother of a 6-year-old girl killed in the attack was quoted saying, “In the spaces where the gangs are, there are innocent people, people who raise their children, who follow normal paths.”

The rights group found that families of victims faced restrictions during funeral proceedings. “Some residents said that only people who accepted money or support from the criminal group had been allowed to attend the funeral,” the report noted.

The Haitian government created a specialized task force in 2025 that operates outside the oversight of Haiti’s National Police and employs explosive drones. This task force includes certain police units and private contractors. Notably, Vectus Global, the security firm of former U.S. Navy SEAL Erik Prince, deployed nearly 200 personnel to Haiti in mid-2025 under a one-year contract to combat gang violence.

These drone operations appear to be part of Haiti’s desperate attempt to regain control from violent gangs that have devastated the country. However, Volker Turk, the U.N. human rights chief, has criticized the tactics, stating that the use of lethal force against gangs in Haiti has been unnecessary, disproportionate, and likely in violation of international law.

“Many of these attacks appear to be attempts to target and kill people in circumstances that amount to unlawful, extrajudicial killings,” Human Rights Watch concluded. The group called on authorities to “ensure transparency around and accountability for any unlawful death resulting from a security operation, and conduct prompt, thorough, and independent investigations.”

Meanwhile, Haitian police continue to work alongside a United Nations-backed mission led by Kenyan police, though this operation remains underfunded and understaffed. This mission is expected to transition into a specialized “gang suppression force” in the coming months.

The escalation of drone warfare represents a troubling new dimension in Haiti’s security crisis, which has seen the country struggle to maintain order following the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. Despite these aggressive tactics, gangs continue to maintain control over most of Port-au-Prince, leaving civilians caught in an increasingly deadly crossfire.