Human Rights Watch details deaths by drone attacks in Haiti

Drones operated by Haitian security forces and private contractors have killed at least 1,243 people and injured 738 others, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday.

Of those killed, 17 were children, and 43 were adults not believed to be members of any criminal group. Of those injured, at least 49 were believed to be civilians, according to the rights group. The killings took place between March 1, 2025, and January 21, 2026. The most lethal drone operation killed 57 people, it noted.

“Haitian authorities should urgently rein in the security forces and private contractors working for them before more children die,” Juanita Goebertus, Americas director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. A spokesperson for Haiti’s Police did not respond to a request for comment.

The Human Rights Watch said the number of armed drone attacks in Haiti’s Capital, Port-au-Prince, which is 90 per cent controlled by gangs, has “significantly increased” in recent months, with 57 reported between November and late January, almost double that of the 29 attacks reported from August through October last year.

Human Rights Watch said its researchers analysed seven videos uploaded to social media or shared directly with the group that show armed quadcopter drones in action and geolocated four of them to Port-au-Prince.