09/23/2025
In a devastating escalation of Haiti's battle against gang violence, explosive drones deployed by police struck a suspected gang leader's gathering in , killing at least 8 children, according to relatives, activists, and residents who spoke to Associated Press. The Saturday night attack, which residents say claimed 13 lives, has sparked condemnation, with families mourning and rights groups denouncing the use of "kamikaze" drones amid a worsening humanitarian crisis.
The incident unfolded around 8pm. on September 20 in , a gang-dominated enclave of . The drones hit during a birthday celebration for Albert Steevenson, a local gang figure known as Djouma or "King Jouma," who was distributing gifts to children. Instead, the blasts turned the event into horror.
"This was my only child," wept Gessica Charles, 22, the mother of 4-year-old Merika Saint-Fort Charles. "I feel like I could kill myself. I baptized her, and she was preparing to start school." Merika's grandmother, Mimose Duclaire, 52, described the chaos: "The children were sitting here playing. While they were playing, I heard a ‘boom.’ When I looked, both of her knees were broken and her head was split open."
The toll included at least three adults, among them a pregnant woman & four suspected gang members killed, with 7 more affiliates injured. 13 non-gang civilians were also seriously hurt, including 6 children, according to conservative estimates from Haiti's National Human Rights Defense Network.
Residents & activists blamed the Police's elite task force, which operates with limited oversight & has increasingly relied on drone strikes to hit gang strongholds. The targeted gang was Viv Ansanm, where one leader, Jimmy Chérizier, aka Barbecue, vowed revenge.
The drone program is a controversial pillar of Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé's anti-gang strategy. Fils-Aimé contracted private military firms, including Vectus Global, founded by ex-Blackwater CEO Erik Prince, to bolster operations. The task force has conducted dozens of strikes, but critics argue the technology’s precision is weakened by poor intelligence & lack of ground support.