Erik Prince partners with Haitian government to combat gang violence

Erik Prince, a private military contractor, a former Navy SEAL, and the founder of Blackwater Worldwide, is collaborating with the Haitian government to combat the gangs causing fear in the Caribbean nation. 

Prince’s responsibility involves providing advice to the Haitian government and its police force, which are currently understaffed and lack proper equipment, on strategies to confront the street gangs amidst soaring levels of violence that have resulted in numerous deaths, injuries, and abductions. 

“The scope goes beyond just addressing security issues; it also involves the revival of crucial government services, although the primary focus is on reinstating security,” as stated by a source close to the situation. 

A woman carrying a child runs from the area after gunshots were heard in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on March 20, 2024. (CLARENS SIFFROY/AFP via Getty Images)

A special task force to take on the gangs has been set up. That group will lead the effort with support from international partners and experts. So far, the task force has used drones. 

“While it may be true that no leaders have been taken out yet, a significant number of senior gang members have been killed or wounded,” the source said. “For the first time, the police are starting to put real pressure on them, and their capabilities are growing. So we hope to see an improvement of the situation over the coming months.”

A man carrying belongings flees the Poste Marchand suburb in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Dec. 9, 2024. (REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol)

The key is to do it in a way that is precise and mitigates risks to civilians, the source added. 

Security experts told the New York Times that Prince has also been scouting to hire Haitian-American military veterans to send to Port-au-Prince. He is expected to send up to 150 mercenaries to Haiti over the summer and recently shipped a large cache of weapons to the country, two experts told the newspaper. 

Police officers confront gangs near the National Palace in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on March 21, 2024. (Reuters/Ralph Tedy Erol/TPX Images of the Day)

Military contractors in Haiti have a checkered history. In 2021, Colombian mercenaries hired by an American security firm were accused of taking part in the assassination of former President Jovenel Moïse.

Rod Joseph, a Haitian-American Army veteran who owns a Florida-based security officer training company, told the New York Times that he had been in talks with Prince to help supply personnel for his contract since late last year.