Drone Strike on Haiti Birthday Party Kills at Least 8 Children
At a birthday party meant to bring joy to children in Cité Soleil, Haiti’s youngest residents instead faced unimaginable horror.
At least eight children were killed and six others seriously injured when explosive drones tore through the gathering on Saturday night. Families say the children had been receiving gifts from a gang leader when the attack struck.
Parents and grandparents described scenes of devastation: an eight-year-old girl lying lifeless in a pool of blood, toddlers just three and seven years old killed instantly, and a young boy who begged his mother to “come get me” after losing his arm and leg, only to die before reaching the hospital.
The grief of families is now compounded by fear, poverty, and despair, with some left without breadwinners and children without parents to care for them.
Human rights advocates accused police of launching the drones, raising grave concerns about accountability and the indiscriminate nature of such violence in a community already dominated by armed groups.
Observers warn that attacks like this will only deepen public mistrust in state institutions, leaving children and families trapped in cycles of insecurity.
For Haiti’s children, who should be playing, learning, and growing in safety, this tragedy is yet another reminder of the heavy toll they bear in the country’s escalating violence. Their right to life, to protection, and to grow up free from violence has been brutally violated.
