December 5, 2025
Port-au-Prince (Haiti) — At least eight children were killed and several others seriously injured on Saturday, September 20, 2025, after an explosive-laden drone detonated in Cité Soleil, according to local medical and community sources. The area is heavily affected by armed-group activity; responsibility for the attack has not been independently established.
According to several media outlets (including AP and Al Jazeera), the blast allegedly occurred as a suspected gang leader, Albert Stevenson (“Djouma”), was preparing to celebrate a birthday. Al Jazeera also reported that Jimmy Chérizier (“Barbecue”) vowed to avenge the attack. These claims have not been independently verified.
In August, Erik Prince—founder of the former security firm Blackwater—told Reuters he had signed a ten-year agreement with Haitian authorities covering security and tax reforms, including the use of drones. Haitian authorities have not publicly confirmed this agreement, and the nature of any operational activity remains unclear.
Blackwater’s license in Iraq was revoked after the Nisour Square killings in 2007, which left 17 civilian deaths; several contractors were later convicted in 2014. In 2020, U.S. President Donald Trump pardoned several former Blackwater contractors.
At the time of publication, neither the Haitian National Police (HNP) nor the Prime Minister’s Office had acknowledged or claimed any drone operation in Cité Soleil. Human rights advocates note that the use of explosive devices in dense urban areas poses grave risks to civilians and raises accountability concerns.
