Over 1,200 People Killed By Drones Operated By Police And Mercenaries In Haiti, Report Claims

Over 1,200 people have been killed by drones operated by police and mercenaries in Haiti, who have been increasingly used the technology to gain ground on gangs controlling vast swaths of territory in the country, according to a new report.

Human Rights Watch noted that, overall, 1,243 people were killed and 738 others were killed.

Juanita Goebertus, Americas director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement that 17 of all those killed were children and 43 adults not believed to be affiliated with gangs.

"Haitian authorities should urgently rein in the security forces and private contractors working for them before more children die," Goebertus added.

The organization said it analyzed different videos showing "the repeated use of drones equipped with explosives to attack vehicles and people, some of them armed, but none who appear to be engaged in violent acts or pose any imminent threat to life."

It added that it didn't find widespread use of drones among criminal groups. "Many of these attacks appear to be attempts to target and kill people in circumstances that amount to unlawful, extrajudicial killings," the document claims.

"Authorities should also ensure transparency around and accountability for any unlawful death resulting from a security operation, and conduct prompt, thorough, and independent investigations to disclose, to the greatest extent possible, the number and identity of victims, and provide adequate reparation where violations have occurred."

A report by the Miami Herald from January noted that Haitian forces have managed to gain ground on gangs by using drones. Earlier that month specialized Haitian police units, supported by a drone task force, entered the gang-controlled Delmas 6 neighborhood of Port-au-Prince with the goal of destroying a safehouse belonging to the leader and spokesperson of the Viv Ansanm gang coalition, Jimmy "Barbecue" Chérizier.

The Miami Herald noted that the drone task force was hired by Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, who now runs the executive branch, and operates under the supervision of U.S.-based private security firm Vectus Global, founded by Erik Prince, the former CEO of military contractor Blackwater.