Haiti’s fragile security situation took a tragic turn when two police officers were killed and two others were left seriously injured after a drone carrying explosives accidentally detonated at a SWAT base near the capital.
According to the Prime Minister’s office, the incident occurred Tuesday night in Kenscoff, a hillside town overlooking the diplomatic district of Petion-Ville, a hotspot in the ongoing gang conflict.
The drone was part of a state-sponsored campaign involving explosive-packed "kamikaze" drones, launched in March under Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime to stem the emergence of heavily armed gangs that dominate much of Port-au-Prince.
A private military firm headed by Blackwater founder Erik Prince has also participated in drone missions.
Locals apparently found the drone after operators lost control because of inclement weather. Thinking they were doing a good deed, they took it to the police. Within moments, it detonated, killing two officers on the spot and injuring others critically.
Though reports officially indicate two dead and two seriously injured, sources quoted by the Miami Herald are saying up to six officers could have been injured in the blast.
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Haiti’s national police have launched an investigation into the deadly mishap. Fritz Alphonse Jean, a member of the country’s transitional presidential council, vowed on social media that “all measures” would be taken to uncover the truth behind the accident.
The Kenscoff neighborhood has been subjected to constant gang assaults this year, with rights organizations documenting widespread killings, rape, kidnappings, and mass forced displacements. Only weeks ago, an orphanage was invaded, leading to the kidnapping of a three-year-old boy, seven employees, and Irish missionary Gena Heraty.
According to the United Nations, over 3,100 people have been killed in Haiti’s gang conflict in just the first half of this year, underscoring the country’s spiraling crisis.
As Haiti experiments with new technologies in its desperate fight against gangs, the drone accident raises pressing questions about safety, oversight, and the risks of deploying such weapons in densely populated areas.
