Port-au-Prince, Haiti – In a dramatic escalation of its fight against powerful gangs that have overrun much of the capital, the Haitian government has resorted to deploying explosive-laden drones to target criminal leaders. While the strikes have been hailed by some as a bold step to restore order, they have now come under fire from international legal experts and even one of Haiti’s key foreign partners—Canada.
According to a report by The New York Times, new footage released by Haitian police appears to show a top gang leader, Vitel’homme Innocent—on whom the United States has placed a $2 million bounty—fleeing from drone-launched attacks. In other videos released last month, drones can be seen dropping explosives in gang-controlled neighborhoods.
The unspoken message from the Haitian government is one of resolve: reclaiming the capital from the grip of gangs by any means necessary. Over the past three months, drone strikes have reportedly killed more than 300 suspected gang members in Port-au-Prince. Yet, despite the aerial campaign, no major gang leader has been killed or captured, and no territory has been reclaimed from the gangs.
Now, a surprising condemnation has come from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (R.C.M.P.), which donated surveillance drones to Haiti and trained local officers in their use. The R.C.M.P. has criticized the strikes as illegal, saying they breach both Haitian criminal law and international human rights law.
“The drone attacks it has conducted are in violation of Haiti’s domestic criminal law and international human rights law,” said Canadian police spokeswoman Marie-Eve Breton in an email to The New York Times. “The R.C.M.P. does not condone the use of drones to carry munitions or offensive tools.”
Breton emphasized that when Canada donated the drones, Haiti had pledged not to use them for lethal operations.
Despite the legal controversy, many Haitian citizens support the new approach, viewing it as the only deterrent that has prevented the capital from being entirely seized by Viv Ansanm, a coalition of heavily armed gangs. These gangs, which finance their operations through extortion, kidnappings, and illegal tolls, now control more than 80% of Port-au-Prince.
In March, the Haitian government formed a special drone strike task force. While attacks have since decreased, the toll has been high: at least four civilians have been killed in gang reprisals, raising questions about oversight, accountability, and collateral damage.
Human rights experts have cautioned that lethal force, including drone strikes, should only be used when there is an imminent threat to life. Critics argue that Haiti’s opaque targeting process and lack of transparency about casualties make the drone campaign a violation of fundamental legal norms.
Meanwhile, the U.S.-funded multinational force, primarily led by Kenyan police officers, has made little progress in restoring order. As the violence drags on and the legal debate intensifies, Haiti’s fight for control of its capital now stands at a volatile crossroads—between desperation and the rule of law.
