As gang violence reaches unprecedented levels in Haiti, nearly 200 contractors from the private security firm Vectus Global, led by former U.S. Navy SEAL Erik Prince, are set to be deployed to the country for a one-year mission. The intervention, confirmed by a source with direct knowledge of the operation, is intended to support the Haitian government in its fight against heavily armed groups that control large parts of the territory.
Vectus Global, founded by Prince—best known for creating the controversial Blackwater security firm—will provide security, logistics, and strategic advisory services. Its stated goal is to help authorities retake gang-held areas and restore the state’s ability to collect revenues once stability is achieved.
The announcement follows remarks made in June by Fritz Alphonse Jean, then head of Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council, who confirmed the government was turning to foreign contractors but declined to provide specifics. Still, the decision has sparked concern among observers.
“Without a coordinated strategy alongside the international community, relying on private firms risks further fragmenting Haiti’s sovereignty rather than resolving the crisis,” warned Romain Le Cour Grandmaison, director of the Haiti Observatory at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.
A Trump administration official clarified that the United States is “neither involved nor funding” the Vectus Global mission, emphasizing that Washington is not exercising oversight over the company’s operations.
The contractors—drawn from the United States, El Salvador, and Europe—are expected to bolster Haiti’s National Police (PNH) and the Multinational Security Support Mission (MMSS), which has struggled to contain gang violence despite assistance from Kenyan police officers. The mission, originally envisioned at 2,500 personnel, currently numbers just 991 and faces severe funding shortages.
At the center of the escalating conflict is Viv Ansanm, a powerful federation of gangs formed in 2023 and designated a terrorist organization by the United States. Led in part by Jimmy Chérizier, better known as “Barbecue,” the group has carried out large-scale attacks, including assaults on two prisons that freed 4,000 inmates, and a months-long shutdown of Haiti’s main international airport.
“Viv Ansanm has an underestimated military capacity. Any poorly prepared operation risks further inflaming the conflict,” cautioned Diego Da Rin, an analyst with the International Crisis Group.
Between April and June 2025, the United Nations recorded 1,520 deaths and more than 600 injuries, most linked to clashes between gangs, security forces, and vigilante groups. In just a few years, nearly 1.3 million people have been displaced by the violence.
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