The founder of Blackwater announced he has secured a 10-year deal with Haiti’s government to fight gangs that now control most of Port-au-Prince and reestablish the nation’s taxation structure. Erik Prince, who now runs private security firm Vectus Global and is a well-known supporter of President Donald Trump, first told the news to Reuters.
Prince did not disclose how much the deal was worth but said part of the agreement would be to create a program for taxation on products sent across the island nation’s border with the Dominican Republic once gang violence is brought under control.
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The measure of success
Prince told Reuters that he predicts his efforts to dismantle gang control of Haiti will take about a year.
“One key measure of success for me will be when you can drive from Port-au-Prince to Cap-Haïtien in a thin-skinned vehicle and not be stopped by gangs,” Prince said.
The newly inaugurated president of the transitional council, Laurent Saint-Cyr, did not comment on the matter, and neither did the country’s former council president.
Prince’s company began work in Haiti in March, using drones in concert with a task force run by the country’s prime minister. The gang control and taxation agreement had not been reported prior to Thursday, Aug. 14.
Efforts will ramp up in weeks ahead
An anonymous source familiar with the company’s role in Haiti told Reuters that Vectus Global would ramp up its efforts against gangs in the coming weeks while working with the Haitian police force. The person also told the news outlet that the effort would involve hundreds of commandos from the United States, Europe and El Salvador.
The group reportedly includes trained precision shooters as well as communication and intelligence specialists. Fighters will also be assisted by helicopters and boats.
Prince’s role in Trump administration
Prince has been a key component of the Trump administration’s effort to fight gangs in Ecuador. He also secured an agreement with the Democratic Republic of Congo to defend and tax the nation’s natural mineral resources.
“It’s hard to imagine them operating without the consent of the Trump administration,” Romain Le Cour Grandmaison, the head of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime in Haiti, said in response to news of the latest deal.
Trump administration’s response
In response to Le Cour Grandmaison’s remark, a U.S. State Department official said it was not involved in Prince’s efforts.
“The U.S. government has no involvement with the private military contractor hired by the Haitian government,” a White House official told Reuters. “We are not funding this contract or exercising any oversight.”
Blackwater controversy
Prince is a former U.S. Navy SEAL. He established private security firm Blackwater in 1997 but sold the business in 2010 after four employees killed 14 unarmed civilians, including two children. They had been escorting U.S. Embassy personnel at the time in Baghdad. The security guards were pardoned by Trump during his first term.
Haiti’s dire humanitarian situation
Meanwhile, Haiti has seen gangs expand their footprint across Port-au-Prince and a multinational security force that is underfunded and outgunned is struggling to quell the violence.
Some government officials argue that Vector Global is not the answer and that efforts should instead focus on increasing funding for security forces already in place.
