The Haitian government, in a move indicative of escalating desperation, has begun using handheld drones to target local gangs. This development comes amidst an increasingly precarious situation on the western side of Hispaniola, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.
“It’s showing how weak the government forces are,” Vanda Felbab-Brown from the Brookings Institution said of the tactic. “They are desperate.”
Reports indicate that a drone task force was established in response to the groups the government has identified as terrorist entities. Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, who assumed the mantle of acting leader last November, is associated with this initiative. His office declared on March 1: “The state will not give in to terror. Victory against the gangs is coming. Haiti will take back control of its destiny.”
A State Department spokeswoman informed the Journal that the United States is the primary defense supplier to Haiti. The U.S. has provided nonlethal surveillance drones to the Haitian government, but has policies in place to ensure they are not used for lethal purposes. “The U.S. government hasn’t supplied lethal drones to any element in Haiti,” she stated.
This development follows earlier reports that in early May, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the designation of the Haitian gangs Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif as “Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists.”
According to reliable sources, Fils-Aimé’s administration is now seeking assistance from U.S. security contractors, such as Blackwater’s Erik Prince. A spokesman for Prince confirmed that he met with senior members of the Haitian government in April to discuss security and the delivery of essential goods.
These gangs are said to have committed thousands of murders, dramatically affecting the supply of food and fuel. The United Nations reports that half of Haiti’s 12 million people are suffering from starvation. The Haitian government has so far provided little information on the collateral damage resulting from the drone attacks.
