Since spring, Haiti’s authorities have been relying on foreign military contractors to operate armed drones against gangs terrorizing Port-au-Prince. These contractors work for a company owned by Erik Prince, a well-known supporter of Donald Trump. Experts have warned that such actions violate international law, as the country is not formally in a state of armed conflict, and that strikes in densely populated areas inevitably result in civilian casualties.
On Saturday, September 20, Port-au-Prince suffered one of the deadliest drone attacks in recent months: according to human rights groups, a strike targeting a gang leader killed 11 civilians, including eight children celebrating a birthday.
According to the National Human Rights Defense Network, two “kamikaze drones” were deployed in the evening in the Simon Pelé neighborhood—an area under gang control in Cité Soleil near the capital’s airport. The intended target was Albert Stevenson, known as Juma, who was celebrating his birthday. The first drone hit the party, killing eight children aged 2 to 10 and three adults. Six more children were injured. Among the dead was a pregnant woman. The second drone struck near the gang’s headquarters, killing four fighters and wounding seven others. Stevenson survived.
The leader of another gang, Jimmy Chérizier, known as Barbecue, blamed the government of Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, which had hired the foreign contractors. He denied that any fighters were killed and insisted the victims were solely civilians. In a YouTube address, he accused the authorities of “massacres in working-class neighborhoods” and displayed photos of the dead children.
Witnesses described the horrific aftermath to Associated Press. “People ran in every direction,” said Michelen Florvil, who lost two grandchildren and a son in the attack. “Their bodies were mutilated.”
Sources claim the drone operators knew about the birthday celebration and the presence of children, yet carried out the strike. Police and government officials declined to comment, citing the investigation. Prince himself also did not respond to requests for comment.
According to Pierre Espérance, head of the human rights network, there is no accountability in such strikes: civilians are killed while gang leaders survive and grow more confident, moving openly and with impunity. He recalled that on September 6 another drone strike in downtown Port-au-Prince also killed 11 civilians.
Despite the tragedies, many Haitians view drones as the last resort in fighting gangs at a time when the international community has largely abandoned the country. The mandate of the Kenya-led UN peacekeeping mission—already widely regarded as a failure—expires next week. The United States and Panama have proposed expanding the mission and raising its strength to 5,500 personnel, more than fivefold. Yet the plan faces opposition in the UN Security Council: Russia and China have already voiced doubts.
Since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, the country has rapidly descended into chaos. Today gangs control key roads, attack residential districts, police stations, hospitals, and other institutions. According to UN figures, the violence has displaced around 1.3 million people, and in just the first six months of this year nearly 4,000 were killed.