Port-au-Prince, August 2025 – In an exclusive interview with Reuters, Erik Prince, founder of Blackwater and CEO of Vectus Global, revealed that his firm has signed a 10-year agreement with Haiti’s transitional government. The deal entails a dual mission: intensifying operations against armed gangs and eventually establishing a system to collect taxes on imports from the Dominican Republic.
Mission Breakdown & Timeline
- Early Deployment Begins Vectus Global commenced operations in Haiti in March 2025, deploying drones in coordination with a government task force led by the prime minister.
- Scale-Up in Progress In the coming weeks, “several hundred” foreign-trained operatives from the U.S., Europe, and El Salvador—specialized in sniping, intelligence, communications, and aerial operations using helicopters and boats—are expected to be deployed.
- Security Objectives Prince aims to reclaim gang-controlled territory rapidly, citing a milestone: enabling travel in a “thin-skinned vehicle” from Port‑au‑Prince to Cap‑Haïtien within about one year.
- Tax Collection Role Once security stabilizes, Vectus will design and implement a taxation system for goods imported across the Haitian-Dominican border—a vital revenue source that has been disrupted by gang control.
Reactions & Risks
- Human Rights & State Sovereignty Concerns Critics warn that entrusting security and taxation to a private military company could undermine Haitian institutions and sovereignty. Experts from Global Initiative on Transnational Organized Crime have raised concerns about legality and strategic fragmentation.
- No U.S. Government Involvement The U.S. government has explicitly stated that it is neither funding nor overseeing the Vectus Global contract.
Context: Haiti’s Security Vacuum
- Since February 2024, gangs have seized large swathes of territory, including key roads, prisons, and the main international airport in Port‑au‑Prince.
- A UN-backed, Kenya-led police mission has faced limitations—short-staffing and inadequate funding.
- Gang violence has displaced over 1.3 million people, and killed more than 1,500 between April and June 2025, significantly worsening Haiti’s humanitarian crisis.
- The Haitian government has lost up to half of its tariff revenue due to blocked access at the Dominican border, crippling state finances.
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Security Mission | Reclaim roads and gang-held territories, restore safety within ~1 year |
| Tax Role | Reconstruct border-tax system to restore state revenue |
| Deployment | Originated March 2025; scale-up of several hundred foreign specialists |
| Controversy | Concerns over state sovereignty, legality, human rights, and private force |
| International Role | U.S. has no involvement or oversight |
