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Haiti's Latest Approach to Quell Gang Violence: Mercenaries

Haiti has turned to the privatized military industry to take on criminal gangs that have been fuelling a crisis of violence and hunger throughout Port-au-Prince and around the country. The Haitian government signed a contract this year with Erik Prince, a private military contractor and founder of Blackwater Worldwide, a company notorious for its privatized military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The contract includes Prince sending 150 private mercenaries to Haiti ([link removed]) this summer, providing advice to Haiti's police force on countering the gangs, and support with the operation of drone attacks to take out gang leaders. Erik Prince has reportedly been contacting US Army veterans and Haitian-Americans to hire to work as private military contractors (or mercenaries); Rodenay Joseph, a US Army veteran confirmed ([link removed]) that Prince contacted him directly. Mr. Joseph expressed concern about this type of outsourcing of work to private military contractors, highlighting that it doesn't improve the skills of the Haitian police and military: "When you do it this way, it's trouble," he said ([link removed]), "Every time you parachute knowledge in and parachute out, the locals will always be in need of that knowledge. If you don't have knowledge of security, you will just have a bunch of dead people."

While Prince recruits mercenaries from the Haitian diaspora, the drone program is already underway and has largely been unsuccessful; according to the New York Times ([link removed]), "not a single high-value target has been killed or captured." Prince has operated in the privatized military and security industry for several decades. Blackwater Worldwide is responsible for a massacre in Iraq nearly 20 years ago that killed 17 civilians ([link removed]). Mr. Prince sold Blackwater Worldwide ([link removed]) in 2010, but has remained in the mercenary business, running military ventures in Libya, Afghanistan, and now Haiti. He donated $250,000 ([link removed]) to Trump's campaign and has pitched ([link removed]\) various military ventures ([link removed]) to the US government, including outsourcing the transport of migrants to prisons in El Salvador.

What exactly is a mercenary, and who utilizes them? A mercenary, according to Sean McFate ([link removed]), an expert on the topic, is an armed civilian paid to do military operations in a foreign conflict zone. Their work includes multinational companies hiring private security firms to safeguard their assets. McFate says, ([link removed]) "the market for force has moved beyond Blackwater in Iraq and become more lethal. Mercenaries are appearing everywhere...[it is the] marketization of war, where military force is bought and sold like any other commodity."

Mercenaries often operate outside of an oversight structure. In the case of Haiti, the Haitian government lacks the capacity for oversight, and without clear US involvement, this means Erik Prince has no accountability if issues arise. A Haiti security analyst at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, Romaine Le Cour said ([link removed]), "It is a blurry framework, lacking any accountability and legal backing." The signed contract between Erik Prince and the Haitian government is not public record, so we're unable to verify the involvement of the US government, though based on the United States' history of interference in this region of the world, we remain curious about the US government's role. Quixote Center doubts the Haitian government would sign a contract with Prince without, at minimum, approval from the United States.

The use of outside private military contractors (mercenaries), paramilitary forces, and occupation forces has a deep and messy history in Haiti. While paramilitary forces and mercenaries are not exactly the same thing, there is some overlap. A paramilitary force is a group organized like a military but not part of a country's official armed forces, and can be used for private security, while a mercenary is an individual who is hired to fight for profit, often for a foreign entity.The United States established a pattern of using outside or private military forces to provide security for elites and outside interests in Haiti during the United States occupation (1915-1934) of Haiti ([link removed].), which created a modern Haitian military to serve as a proxy enforcer of US interests.
Over the decades, the US continued to train and equip paramilitary forces, the Tonton Macoutes and the Leopards, under the Duvalier dictatorships ([link removed]). Notably, the Leopards worked through a Miami company under a CIA contract with oversight from the US Department of State. Despite a brief democratic breakthrough in 1991 with the election of Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Haiti's pro-democracy movement faced two US-backed coups and continued paramilitary violence. These forces were often aligned with Haiti's bourgeoisie and international actors. More recently in 2021, Colombian mercenaries were reportedly hired ([link removed].) through a US-based firm and implicated in the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.

Haiti's oligarchs and elites also ([link removed]) have long ties to mercenaries, who enable their control over an estimated 90% of Haiti's wealth. Unsurprisingly, this group of oligarch families has sophisticated international support, including ties to U.S. lawyers and bankers in Miami that help move wealth through offshore companies. There is a lack of media attention to the oligarchs in Haiti and their ties to mercenaries, with many mainstream news outlets opting not to highlight this system of corruption or name the families. These families are among those engaging in illegal arms trafficking and supplying the criminal gangs ravaging the country.

Quixote Center recognizes the desperate situation. However, we remain deeply concerned over Haiti's long history of mercenaries, private security forces, and paramilitary forces that have only made the situation more troubling over the years. Haiti's decision to turn to Mr. Prince's operation for support will likely not result in the outcome that is most needed for the people of Haiti. Halting the illegal flow of guns and ammunition, which includes halting the financing, is the fastest and most peaceful path to end the violence and gang control in Haiti. For more information on U.S. legislative efforts to this end, please take action on our website ([link removed]) and tell your representative to support and co-sponsor the Haiti Criminal Collusion Transparency Act, which addresses the financing.

If you wish to leave a comment, visit our blog post HERE ([link removed]).

 

Take Action for Haiti:
Tell your Representative to Support andCo-Sponsor the Haiti Criminal Collusion Transparency Act

The humanitarian situation in Haiti continues to worsen as its people suffer from a crisis of gang violence and hunger, fueled by weapons and ammunition trafficked from the US. The flow of illegal weapons not only allows gangs to terrorize communities, but undermines stabilization efforts in Haiti such as long-term governance solutions and security reforms. Cutting off the financing for arms dealing in Haiti is crucial because it deprives gangs of the weapons they use to decimate communities and commit atrocious crimes against humanity.

Join us in taking action to curtail the power of Haiti's gangs by urging your representative to support the Haiti Criminal Collusion Transparency Act ([link removed]) which directs sanctions at Haiti's political and economic elites who finance gangs and profit from gang violence.

Thanks to strong bipartisan support, this bill has a strong chance of passing in both the House and Senate.

Click on the Take Action button below to urge your representative to support and co-sponsor the bill!

Take Action ([link removed])

 

Artist Corner
Meet Rony Jacques:
Talented Metal Artist and Mentor

Rony Jacques is a metal artist from Noailles, Croix-des-Bouquets--Haiti's renowned hub of metalwork and creativity. Raised in a family where craftsmanship is a way of life, Rony transforms recycled metal into powerful works of art that reflect Haiti's resilience, heritage, and soul.

Trained under the legendary Serge Jolimeau, Rony has become a leading voice in Haitian metal sculpture, gaining recognition both locally and internationally. But his impact goes far beyond his artistry. As a mentor, he helps young artisans turn their creative talents into sustainable livelihoods, fostering economic opportunity and artistic growth in his community.

Through every piece he creates, Rony shares Haiti's story with the world. His work not only celebrates cultural pride, but also plays a vital role in social change--proving that art can be both beautiful and transformative

Check out his instagram page @lepalmierworkshop

 

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