The original article is linked here.
Haiti has started using weaponized drones to hunt Hatian gang members who have hijacked most of the capital city, Port-au-Prince. Since March, at least 300 people have been killed by the drones and over 400 have been injured. Videos of these attacks have been posted and have spread on social media. For example, one such video shows four people (at least two of them armed), in a gang run area called Fort National, being hit by an explosion from above. Another video shows an evangelical theological seminary attacked in a similar way, around 2 miles southwest of Fort National.
The drones being used were identified to be FPV (first person view) drones. They were later found to be sold for around $200 making them very cheap and therefore expendable. These are some of the same tactics being seen in the war in Ukraine, where both sides have started using cheap, one time use drones. Haiti has also reportedly worked with Erik Prince, the CEO of Blackwater (an American company that provides trained mercenaries). Allegedly, Prince and other American contractors had been hired to work on a secret taskforce meant to kill gang members with drones. The head of the transitional council, Fritz Alphonse Jean, who has attempted to govern Haiti since the previous Prime minister was assassinated, did say that a private security firm was being hired.
Surprisingly, Hatian human rights activists have shown support for using drones against these gangs. They see the gang killings as a necessary cost to stop all the harm these gangs have done. Already, many banks and schools have reopened and there is much less tension in general. There is some concern though, about how the Prime Minister’s office was leading the taskforce, and many think this could lead to a loss in democracy or set a precedent. Also, many foreign activists and specialist question if it is legal to use Weaponized drones in a country that is not technically at war. This is joined by the fact that not a single gang leader has actually been killed.
This does not mean that the gangs are not going to retaliate. Earlier this month, three “terrorists” were arrested in nearby Dominican Republic, trying to buy drones. Though for now, people have started being able to move back into their homes and slowly, Haiti is improving.
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