Blackwater founder Erik Prince to send hundreds of fighters to strife-torn Haiti

Source: The Guardian

Blackwater founder Erik Prince to send hundreds of fighters to strife-torn Haiti

Critics say Vectus Global’s presence – including snipers – will undermine Haiti’s police and UN security force

Tom Phillips Latin America correspondent
Thu 14 Aug 2025 17.19 BST
Last modified on Thu 14 Aug 2025 17.44 BST

Hundreds of combatants from the US, Europe and El Salvador will reportedly be deployed to Haiti in the coming weeks to battle the country’s gangs as part of a mission led by the controversial Blackwater founder and Donald Trump backer Erik Prince.

According to Reuters, Prince’s new security firm, Vectus Global – which has been operating in the violence-ravaged Caribbean country since March – is preparing to intensify its activities there to help authorities win key roads and territories back from heavily armed criminal groups.

“One key measure of success for me will be when you can drive from Port-au-Prince to [the northern city of] Cap-Haïtien in a thin-skinned [non-armoured] vehicle and not be stopped by gangs,” Prince, who said he had struck a 10-year deal with Haiti’s government, told the news agency. Under the agreement, Vectus will reportedly be given a role in Haiti’s tax-collection system.

Haiti’s capital has been largely cut off from the rest of the country since February 2024, when armed groups launched a joint offensive against the government, toppling the prime minister and commandeering virtually the whole city. According to the UN, more than 1,500 people were killed between April and July, mostly in Port-au-Prince. The majority were killed during security force operations and a third in drone strikes, which the government has started using to target armed groups.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/14/erik-prince-blackwater-haiti