US strikes on alleged drug boats may constitute ‘crimes against humanity’, UN expert says
Dozens of US attacks on boats in the Pacific and Caribbean have killed more than 230 people since September 2025
TL;DR
- UN special rapporteur Ben Saul believes US boat strikes may constitute crimes against humanity.
- The attacks, targeting alleged drug traffickers in the Pacific and Caribbean since September 2025, have resulted in over 230 deaths.
- Saul asserts the strikes violate the right to life and are not justified by international law, including self-defense.
- US Southern Command confirmed lethal strikes on vessels, calling victims 'narco-terrorists' without providing identification or intelligence details.
- The report disputes claims that the strikes have impacted drug trafficking volumes into the US.
- Victims identified by journalists and human rights groups were often innocent or low-level participants in trafficking networks.