Overview
- Human Rights Watch tallied 1,243 people killed and 738 injured by 141 quadcopter strikes between March 1, 2025, and January 21, 2026, with at least 17 children and 43 adults not tied to criminal groups among the dead.
- Haitian security forces and a Specialized Task Force carried out the operations with support from U.S.-based Vectus Global, which a U.S. diplomat said was licensed by the State Department to export services to Haiti.
- Strikes surged late in 2025 into January 2026, with 57 attacks from November to late January—nearly double the previous three months—and the deadliest single operation reportedly killed 57 people.
- The U.N. human rights chief previously labeled the strikes disproportionate and likely unlawful, and the U.N. office in Haiti reports no indication that civilian deaths from these operations are being investigated.
- HRW urges partners to suspend operational support until safeguards are in place, noting no evidence of widespread drone use by gangs and no confirmed removal of top gang leaders through these strikes.