Haiti - August

A private security firm owned by American businessman Erik Prince will deploy hundreds of foreign security contractors in Haiti to fight gang violence. Prince, founder of Blackwater—the security firm implicated in a 2007 massacre in Iraq—announced a 10-year contract with the Transitional Presidential Council, Haiti’s transitional government, to assist with security and tax collection. The government admitted to using foreign contractors in June but has not clarified contract terms or payments. Local and international experts have warned that outsourcing security to foreign private companies could severely undermine Haiti’s sovereignty and weaken accountability for crimes committed by such companies operating without oversight. Critics also note that the approach diverts attention and resources away from strengthening Haiti’s underfunded and understaffed police forces, as well as the Kenyan-led international police mission already deployed in the country. They warn of the risks of the conflict escalating.

Sources: The Guardian, Ap News, Haitian Times