Trending Now - Drone Strikes in Haiti Result in Hundreds of Deaths, Including Civilians

WHO:

Human Rights Watch (HRW)

Juanita Goebertus, Americas director at HRW

Vectus Global, a United States-licensed private military firm

Haitian security forces

Haiti’s National Police

Volker Turk, U.N. human rights chief

Erik Prince, associated with Vectus Global

WHAT:

Drone strikes by Haitian forces and private contractors have killed at least 1,243 people and injured 738 others in Haiti.

Among the dead, 17 were children and 43 were adults not believed to be members of any criminal group.

The most lethal drone operation killed 57 people.

57 drone attacks were reported from November 2025 to late January 2026, almost double the 29 attacks reported from August through October 2025.

One drone attack on September 20, 2025, killed nine people, including three children, and injured at least eight others.

An unidentified woman reported seeing a drone fall and explode onto a truck on January 1, 2026, killing her cousin.

WHERE:

Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Simon Pele neighborhood, Port-au-Prince

WHEN:

Drone strikes occurred between March 1, 2025, and January 21, 2026.

The drone attack in Simon Pele occurred on September 20, 2025.

The report mentions the increase in drone attacks from November 2025 to late January 2026.

WHY:

The drone strikes are part of antigang operations in an area where 90% is controlled by gangs.

The Haitian government created a new task force to operate outside the oversight of Haiti’s National Police to quell gang violence.

HOW:

Drones equipped with explosives were used to attack vehicles and people.

The task force includes certain police units and private contractors, employing explosive drones.

(UPDATED March 10, 2026 19:21 UTC)

In a troubling report from Human Rights Watch, drone strikes by Haitian security forces and private contractors have resulted in the deaths of at least 1,243 people, including 17 children, and left 738 others injured in Haiti. The most deadly operation involved 57 drone attacks between November 2025 and January 2026, nearly doubling the number from the previous three months, with one incident in the Simon Pele neighborhood killing nine people, including three children. These strikes are part of a government initiative to combat gang violence in an area where 90% is controlled by gangs, utilizing drones equipped with explosives to target both vehicles and individuals.