UN Rights Chief Condemns U.S. Strikes on Boats in Drug War, Citing Potential Extrajudicial Killings
GENEVA – The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has condemned recent U.S. military strikes targeting boats suspected of drug trafficking in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, calling the attacks ”unacceptable” and perhaps violating international human rights law. The unprecedented rebuke from a UN body raises notable legal and diplomatic questions about the U.S. campaign against drug cartels.
The strikes, authorized by President donald Trump and announced by U.S.Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, began in early September and have resulted in at least 61 deaths. While the U.S. justifies the actions as necessary to curb the flow of drugs into the country, the UN argues such operations fall under law enforcement and are subject to strict limitations on the use of lethal force. This dispute highlights a growing tension between national anti-drug strategies and internationally recognized human rights standards.
Ravina Shamdasani, a spokeswoman for the High Commissioner’s office, stated on Friday that the U.S. must “halt such attacks and take all measures necessary to prevent the extrajudicial killing of people aboard these boats.” She emphasized that intentional lethal force is permissible only as a last resort against an “imminent threat to life,” and that or else, the strikes would constitute violations of the right to life.
The UN’s position is that the strikes are occurring “outside the context” of armed conflict, further reinforcing the argument that they should be treated as law enforcement operations. Shamdasani acknowledged the U.S. framing of the campaign as anti-drug and counter-terrorism, but reiterated that international consensus dictates drug trafficking be addressed through law enforcement with “careful limits” on lethal force.
The latest strike, announced by Hegseth on Wednesday, killed four people aboard a boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean. This incident marked the 14th such strike in the ongoing campaign. The U.S. actions have already proven divisive among countries in the region, and the UN’s condemnation is highly likely to intensify international scrutiny.
