The top U.S. official in Haiti conceded that mercenaries from the country are operating in the beleaguered Caribbean country but clarified the Trump administration has no ties with them.
Speaking during a congressional hearing, Henry Wooster, the U.S. chargé d'affaires in the country, said the government has been "pretty careful about having American private military contractors in conflict zones, American mercenaries.
Pressed by Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy on the role of Erik Prince, founder of Blackwater, Wooster said services are being paid by "Haitian revenue." "The point is, this is a decision the Haitian government made."
"We have full-scale urban warfare going on. And so what they have been doing is bringing in people who have experience in precisely that element, which is urban combat operations," he added.
Murphy, however, pressed the official, pointing at reports claiming that drones operated by the Haitian government or its allies have killed over 550 people, including 11 children.
He went on to note that the government has been "very careful about introducing American forces into Haiti because of the blowback that it has had against America's reputation and our interests in the region." "But this is an American company that is killing hundreds of people."
Wooster countered the argument, saying the harm being caused by the gangs controlling most of Port-au-Prince is far worse. "Can you imagine how the situation with regard to security and stability would be different if we didn't have people with experience contributing to this fight on behalf of the Haitian government?" he said.
"The whole situation, and one mentioned by several of your colleagues here, state collapse, we would be much closer to that nasty precipice than we are at the moment," he added.
A recent report elaborated on the use of drones, noting that Haitian armed forces are resorting more to them. In January, specialized Haitian police units, supported by a drone task force, entered the gang-controlled Delmas 6 neighborhood of Port-au-Prince with the goal of destroying a safehouse belonging to the leader and spokesperson of the Viv Ansanm gang coalition, Jimmy "Barbecue" Chérizier.
"It was definitely done as a sign to the rest of the gangs that the task force can go where it wants, when it wants," a source close to the operation told the Miami Herald. The outlet reported that after months of failing to make an impact in gang-controlled areas of the capital, the specialized drone task force is now shifting the balance of power.
Originally published on Latin Times
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