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Haiti turns to weaponized drones in fight against gangs

Posted by skybrian
Tags: politics, haiti, justice.criminal, policing, crime.organized, violence.gang, gangs, technology, weapons, drones, government, haiti gang war, author.amanda coletta, author.widlore merancourt, author.jonathan baran, source.the washington post, paywall
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/04/10/haiti-government-drones-gangs/

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Published
Apr 10 2025

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  1. skybrian
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    From the article: … …

    From the article:

    Since drones were first deployed in early March, they have not killed any gang leaders. But they have injured at least nine civilians, including women and children, according to a health-care worker who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals by Haitian officials. Two had such severe burns that they were transferred to specialized facilities for treatment.

    Little is known about the drones. Haitians say they see them and hear the explosions. Gang leaders post videos of them in their territory and the injuries they say they have sustained from them. They appear to be commercial drones that were weaponized with improvised munitions to make them lethal, analysts say.

    It’s also unclear who is in charge of the drone operations. Neither Haiti’s interim government nor its police have publicly claimed responsibility for them. But a Haitian government official said the unit is run by a task force created this year by interim prime minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé and the transitional presidential council.

    …

    [A] Haitian official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive security issue, defended the drone operations. Haiti, he said, is “at war.” The drones have killed “many” gang members, though he did not have a number, and without them, he said, the gangs would have taken over the affluent neighborhood of Pétion-Ville.

    The drones are being used to target gang strongholds that civilians have already fled, he added. But when asked about the civilian casualties — which have not been previously reported — he said they would not be a “surprise.”

    …

    Gangs control at least 85 percent of Port-au-Prince. At least 5,600 people were killed in gang violence in 2024, according to U.N. data, up 17 percent from 2023. Roughly 1 million people, or 10 percent of the country’s population, have been displaced. The violence has worsened after warring gangs joined to form a coalition called Viv Ansanm, which has launched attacks against the capital and the countryside.

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