Hundreds killed in Haiti drone strikes, including 60 civilians, Human Rights Watch says
By Sarah Morland
March 10 (Reuters) – More than 1,200 people, including 43 adult civilians and 17 children, were killed in explosive drone attacks by Haitian security forces targeting gangs, Human Rights Watch said in a report published on Tuesday, and that the operations have accelerated in recent months.
Since last March, Haitian security forces, with support from Vectus Global, have been conducting anti-gang operations using quadcopter drones rigged with explosives, often in densely populated areas of the capital Port-au-Prince. Vectus Global is a private US-based military company led by Blackwater founder Erik Prince.
The Haitian prime minister’s office, defense minister, national police, Vectus and the U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The U.S. chargé d’affaires in Haiti told a Senate committee last month that the State Department had licensed Vectus to export its services to Haiti.
A spokesman for the U.N.-backed Gang Suppression Force in Haiti declined to comment.
Juanita Goebertus, HRW’s director for the Americas, told Reuters that the human rights group had documented the unlawful use of lethal force and that Haiti’s partners should stop cooperating with security forces until they implemented security measures to protect civilians.
“Haiti authorities must urgently rein in security forces and private contractors working for them before more children die,” he said.
Despite support from Kenya, the US and the UN, armed gangs have spread far beyond the capital and security forces have yet to capture a major gang leader. Gangs have killed thousands of people, displaced more than a million people, and crippled the economy.
Drawing on interviews with doctors, victims’ relatives, community leaders and videos of strikes, HRW found that 1,243 people died in drone strikes between last March and January 21 of this year.
While it was stated that 738 people, 49 of whom were claimed to be civilians, were injured in the attacks, it was stated that there were almost twice as many drone operations from November to January compared to the previous three months.
Some residents told HRW they were afraid to leave their homes because of “drones” that can maneuver between buildings and moving vehicles while controllers track suspects using live video feeds.
HRW said more than half of the child victims were children aged 3 to 12, killed last September in an attack on a sports center where a local gang was handing out gifts.
The UN office in Haiti (BINUH) also recorded dozens of civilian deaths and injuries due to drones, including a mother of three killed while selling goods on the street and another case where two gang members were killed in her own home where she had taken shelter from a drone.
Last month, BINUH said there were no symptoms and that the deaths and injuries were under investigation.
HRW said there was no evidence of widespread use of drones by gangs.
The UN human rights chief said last October that the drone strikes were disproportionate and likely illegal.
(Reporting by Sarah Morland in Mexico City, Editing by Matthew Lewis)
