American Vectus Global PMC Replaces Haiti’s Army and Police in Fight Against Gang Violence
The Haitian government has decided to bring in the Vectus Global private military company, owned by Erik Prince, to fight gang violence.
The Conversation reported on this.
According to the outlet, Vectus personnel have been training Haiti’s security forces and coordinating drone strikes on gang-controlled areas, as well as on the leaders of criminal groups.
It is believed that the company has already deployed around 200 personnel to the country from the United States, Europe, and El Salvador. Under the terms of the contract, Vectus is expected to stabilize key transportation routes and push the gangs out of their territories within roughly a year.
Although this cooperation has so far had little impact on containing criminal groups, it reflects a sharp increase in the privatization of the public security sector. This raises serious questions about sovereignty, accountability, and the risks of handing security oversight to a private military company.
According to reports, Vectus Global is operating in Haiti under two parallel agreements. The first involves a one-year contract to help maintain order in the country.
The second, which the Haitian government has not officially confirmed, allegedly envisions Prince’s company participating in reforming customs and immigration services over a 10-year period. Haiti has long suffered from gang activity, with criminal groups taking advantage of the porous border with the Dominican Republic.
Reports indicate that Vectus Global will receive performance-based commissions: 20% of increased customs revenues during the first three years, and 15% thereafter. In addition, the company will have a guaranteed fixed commission of 3% of import volumes, regardless of its effectiveness.
At present, criminal groups control up to 90% of Port-au-Prince and possess greater firepower and manpower than the national security forces.
In 2024, a multinational mission led by Kenya was deployed to Haiti to support security, but it remains understaffed and underfunded: only about 1,000 personnel have been deployed out of the 2,500 planned.
Vectus Global’s involvement in Haiti’s internal affairs has raised concerns among human rights advocates, as the country’s authorities will, in effect, become partly dependent on a private American company that will gain access to a portion of state revenues.
In early September, it was announced that Erik Prince has been actively promoting his services to Ukrainian enterprises.
