A private security company run by Blackwater founder Erik Prince is set to deploy hundreds of fighters to Haiti to combat gang violence and restore the country’s tax collection system. According to reports, Prince’s company, Vectus Global, has a 10-year contract with the Haitian government to provide logistics, infrastructure, and defense services. The company aims to regain control of gang-held roads and territory within a year, with a key measure of success being the ability to drive from Port-au-Prince to Cap-Haitien without being stopped by gangs.
The involvement of Prince, a former US Navy Seal and major donor to Donald Trump, has raised concerns given the controversial past of his previous company, Blackwater. The company was notorious for its actions in Iraq, where four employees were convicted of killing 14 Iraqi citizens in 2007. The contractors were later pardoned by Trump during his first term in office. Critics have expressed worries that Vectus Global’s mission in Haiti may lead to human rights violations, and that the use of private military companies cannot be seen as a solution to insecurity in the country.
Gedeon Jean, head of Haiti’s Center for Human Rights Analysis and Research, stated, “Resorting to private military companies cannot be seen as a solution to insecurity in Haiti. The use of private companies has often resulted in human rights violations.” Romain Le Cour Grandmaison, head of the Haiti program at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, also expressed concerns, saying that Vectus Global’s mission would likely violate US law unless it had permission from Washington to proceed.
Vectus Global is expected to deploy “several hundred” personnel from the US, Europe, and El Salvador, who are trained as snipers and intelligence and communications specialists. The company will also use boats and helicopters to support its operations. According to reports, the deployment will entail “nearly 200” personnel as part of a one-year deal to tackle gang violence. Vectus Global will also take on a “long-term role” in advising Haiti’s government on restoring tax revenue collection once the gang violence is addressed.
Haiti has been plagued by violence and insecurity for years, with powerful armed gangs vying for influence and territorial control. The situation worsened dramatically after the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise. The deployment of a UN-backed, Kenya-led police mission last year has failed to restore stability, and the government has announced a three-month state of emergency in several parts of the country. The Haitian government has identified restoring tax revenue as a key factor in tackling the country’s problems, and Vectus Global’s mission aims to support this effort.