US-based private security company Vectus Global, led by Blackwater founder Erik Prince, plans to deploy hundreds of fighters to violence-racked Haiti to combat gang violence and restore tax collection. The mission aims to regain control of gang-held roads and territory within a year.
Prince revealed details of the new mission in an interview with Reuters, stating that he expects Vectus Global to succeed in its goal. The company will also help create and implement a system to tax products crossing Haiti’s border with the Dominican Republic once security is restored.
Vectus Global began operations in Haiti in March, mostly using drones in coordination with a government task force. However, it will significantly increase its activities in coming weeks in coordination with Haitian police. The deployment includes “several hundred” personnel from the US, Europe, and El Salvador, trained as snipers and intelligence specialists.
The decision has prompted concerns over Blackwater’s track record of abuses. In 2007, four employees were convicted for killing 14 Iraqi civilians in Baghdad. Prince sold Blackwater in 2010 but has remained active in private security.
Haiti’s government has identified restoring tax revenue as a key factor in tackling the country’s problems, which have worsened after President Jovenel Moise’s assassination in 2021. A UN-backed police mission last year failed to restore stability. The deployment of Vectus Global is expected to complicate the crisis rather than fix it, according to experts.
The US government has stated that it has no involvement with the hiring of Vectus Global by the Haitian government and is not funding or exercising oversight of the mission. This decision comes amid concerns over the use of private military companies in resolving Haiti’s security issues.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/15/blackwater-founder-erik-prince-to-send-forces-to-haiti-to-fight-gangs