Erik Prince, a prominent supporter of former US President Donald Trump and founder of the controversial security firm Blackwater, says his private security company Vectus Global has signed a 10-year agreement with Haiti’s government to fight armed gangs and restore the country’s tax collection system.
Prince, a former US Navy SEAL, told media the deal will allow Vectus to secure main roads and regain control of gang-held areas within a year, before shifting focus to rebuilding fiscal infrastructure. The agreement comes amid surging gang violence that has left over 3,000 people dead in 2025 and displaced more than 1.3 million Haitians, according to the United Nations.
Vectus Global has operated in Haiti since March but plans to expand operations with snipers, helicopters, and boats, sources told Reuters. The company aims to counter gangs that dominate most of Port-au-Prince and large parts of the country, disrupting transport and worsening food insecurity.
The UN-backed multinational force led by Kenya has struggled to help Haitian police regain control. Prince said his firm will succeed where others have failed.
A US official stressed Washington has no involvement in the Haitian government’s hiring of Vectus, is not funding the contract, and has no oversight role.