The United Nations has condemned Haiti’s use of explosive drones in its fight against armed gangs, calling the strikes “disproportionate” and “likely unlawful” under international human rights law.
Speaking before the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thursday, U.N. Human Rights Chief Volker Türk said that state security forces have used excessive and unnecessary lethal force, with drone attacks now accounting for more than half of Haiti’s killings and injuries in 2025.
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Türk revealed that police units had summarily executed 174 people accused of gang affiliation, while government drone strikes in Port-au-Prince have killed at least 559 people, including 11 children.
“Most of these drone strikes are likely unlawful under international human rights law,” Türk said, warning that the actions risk deepening the humanitarian and security crisis.
One of the most devastating incidents occurred during an alleged gang leader’s birthday celebration, where he was reportedly distributing gifts to local children. At least eight children were killed when a drone struck the gathering, according to local media.
Armed groups have tightened their grip on nearly all of Port-au-Prince and are expanding into rural areas, displacing more than 1.3 million people and worsening famine-level hunger across the country.
In the absence of sufficient international assistance, Haiti’s transitional government turned in March to Vectus Global, a private security firm reportedly linked to Blackwater founder Erik Prince, to conduct drone operations against suspected gang members. Neither Vectus Global nor Haitian authorities have commented on the allegations.
While the U.N. Security Council had authorized a Kenyan-led multinational force to support Haitian police in 2023, the mission has suffered from severe funding and manpower shortages. This week, the Council voted to expand the mission’s potential mandate, but deployment still depends on voluntary contributions that have yet to materialize.
Responding to criticism, Haiti’s ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, Ann-Kathryne Lassègue, defended her government’s efforts.
“We have tried to stem violence,” she said. “Nothing is perfect, but nothing is standing still. Our government is doing what it can with the means it has.”
