US strikes on alleged drug boats could be crimes against humanity, says UN
Ben Saul said 68 strikes killed at least 223 people and that drug trafficking does not justify lethal force under international law.
- On Monday, UN Special Rapporteur Ben Saul released a briefing note warning that US military strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific may constitute "crimes against humanity," citing 68 attacks that killed 223 people since September 2025.
- Operation Southern Spear, initiated in September 2025, targets vessels suspected of trafficking narcotics and designated terrorist groups. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth previously argued the campaign removes "narco-terrorists from our hemisphere" to protect the United States.
- The US military conducted its 69th strike on Saturday, killing four people and raising the death toll to at least 231. Legal analyst Ryan Goodman criticized the use of "double tap" strikes, which he said killed civilians.
- UN experts argue that organized criminal activity does not authorize lethal military force, contradicting the administration's self-defense rationale. The dispute centers on whether human rights standards govern maritime enforcement operations.
- A mid-2026 Drug Enforcement Administration assessment found the campaign failed to reduce cocaine supply or prices. Gen. Francis Donovan admitted in March that boat strikes are "probably not the most effective" tool for limiting drug flows.
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44 Articles
US strikes on suspected drug boats could amount to crimes against humanity, warns US expert
UN Special Rapporteur Ben Saul says there are reasonable grounds to question the legality of the strikes, while also raising concerns over alleged covert operations and foreign drone flights in Mexico.
Ben Saul, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, has said that US strikes on vessels in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific may constitute crimes against humanity. In a report published on 15 September on the website of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Saul said there were “compelling grounds” to believe that 68 documented attacks had resulted in …
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Seung-wook = UN [reporter] that the airstrikes carried out by the United States against vessels suspected of drug trafficking violated international law and could constitute crimes against humanity...
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