Overview:
In an interview with Reuters, Erik Prince, CEO of Vectus Global, confirmed on Thursday the existence of a 10-year contract with the Haitian transitional government to restore security and assist with tax reform. Since March 2025, his firm has deployed international fighters, drones and helicopters in gang-controlled areas. While Haitian officials have released few to no details, critics warn about reliance on a foreign security company. However, many residents say safety is the priority, regardless of who can provide it.
PORT-AU-PRINCE — Erik Prince, founder of the private military company Blackwater and now head of Vectus Global, confirmed Thursday in an interview with Reuters that his firm has a 10-year contract with Haitian authorities to restore security and help reform the tax collection system.
Operating in Haiti since March, Vectus Global has deployed drones, helicopters and international fighters — including U.S. veterans — to target gang-controlled areas. The firm also plans to manage tax collection at the Haitian–Dominican border, a role Haitian officials had not previously disclosed.
“For me, one of the main indicators of success will be to travel from Port-au-Prince to Cap-Haïtien in a light vehicle without being stopped by gangs,” Prince told Reuters—-confiding he hopes to restore order within about a year.
The Vectus Global CEO declined to reveal the contract’s value or projected tax revenues. Haitian authorities have provided no details either, despite calls for transparency.
Prince, a former U.S. Navy SEAL, founded Blackwater Worldwide, which gained global notoriety after its contractors killed 17 Iraqi civilians in Baghdad in 2007. He sold the firm in 2010 after multiple convictions of its employees and founded Vectus Global.
In 2020, Prince, whose sister Betsy DeVos served as Secretary of Education during President Donald J. Trump’s first term, was pardoned by the latter.
U.S. lawmakers seek answers as Haitian officials stay mostly silent
Eight Democratic senators have asked the State and Homeland Security departments in a letter to explain whether Vectus Global’s work in Haiti is legal under U.S. export laws and compliant with the Leahy Law, which bars assistance to forces implicated in human rights abuses. They also questioned whether the contract has the required federal licenses, such as authorizations in line with the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Arms Export Control Act (AECA) and the National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM-10).
Since The New York Times first reported the existence of the deal and Prince’s operation on the ground, Haitian officials — including members of the Presidential Transition Council (CPT) — have avoided answering questions. Former CPT president Fritz Alphonse Jean acknowledged a foreign security contract exists but refused to confirm the company’s name, duration or cost, citing strategic reasons. Interior Minister Paul Antoine Bien-Aimé and Minister of Culture and Communication Patrick Delatour both said they had no knowledge of the deal.
In a July interview with international media, including The Haitian Times, the then CPT President Jean dodged the question. He said he was inclined not to disclose information publicly on the matter due to its strategic reasons. However, in a June interview with local media outlets, he had confirmed the existence of a contract with a foreign security firm, denying it was with Blackwater.
Jean specified that the contract had not been discussed in the ministry cabinet meetings and that the Superior Council of the National Police (CSPN) and the Prime Minister are responsible for overseeing it. However, he neither confirmed nor denied that the contract amounted to $44 million, as some reports had suggested.
“With this level of violence combined with transnational crime, it is not true that our law enforcement forces could face these challenges alone,” said Jean, justifying the deal with the U.S. private military contractors.
“The government and we are committed to seeking support both nationally and internationally to assist the law enforcement agencies.”
While Jean provided some brief information, he did not specify the name of the security firm, the contract’s duration, its amount, or its exact missions in Haiti. On the prime minister side, there has been complete silence, with no official statement issued.
Reuters reported that Vectus Global plans to escalate operations in the coming weeks, bringing in hundreds of fighters from the U.S., Europe and El Salvador, along with boats and sniper teams. Local media have spotted its helicopters during police raids in Kenscoff.
Critics warn the funds could be used to strengthen Haitian police and the army rather than outsource security to a private firm. But in Port-au-Prince, many residents told The Haitian Times their priority is being able to move freely, regardless of who restores order.
“We have no issue with who brings the solution — what we need is the solution itself,” said Titus Michel, a resident in the capital.
Revelations come amid worsening violence
Prince’s remarks come as Haiti grapples with a surge in gang attacks. Over three days this week, gangs killed three police officers and destroyed an armored vehicle — including two officers in Kenscoff, where police have struggled since February to regain control.
The Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS), deployed in June 2024, has yet to help the Haitian National Police (PNH) reclaim lost territory. The mission has suffered its own losses, with three members killed and several armored vehicles destroyed, particularly in the lower Artibonite Department, where the Gran Grif and Kokorat San Ras gangs hold sway.
The MSS remains underfunded and well below its target of 2,500 personnel. Meanwhile, newly appointed PNH Director General André Jonas Vladimir Paraison — who succeeded the heavily criticized Rameau Normil — has already seen his force suffer deadly attacks.
Like this:
Loading…
