El Salvador to Send Troops to Haiti Amid Ongoing Crisis
The foreign ministry of El Salvador announced on Wednesday that it will be deploying more than 2,000 troops to Haiti to support ongoing U.N. anti-gang efforts and to assist in finding four Salvadoran aircraft technicians who have gone missing.
These technicians were last heard from on October 18, after their vehicle was attacked near an area known for gang activity. Reports indicate that the technicians managed to escape from their damaged vehicle, but since then, there has been no communication from them.
Haiti has been experiencing a surge of violence from heavily armed gangs since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021. The location where the Salvadoran technicians disappeared had recently seen intense confrontations between Haitian police, private security contractors, and gang members.
Over the weekend, several charred bodies were found, though identifying them proved difficult. Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele stated that these bodies were not those of the missing technicians and dispatched special forces troops to Haiti in hopes of rescuing them.
Bukele also cautioned the gangs operating in Haiti, warning that harsh consequences would follow if the missing technicians were harmed or if they interfered with the rescue mission.
“I want the gang leaders to be crystal clear: today’s attack is nothing compared to what is coming if we do not safely recover all four hostages,” Bukele said.
“Don’t think of our words as empty threats. We’ve dealt with the gangs in El Salvador, and we can do it here too,” he added.
According to El Salvador’s foreign ministry, Bukele had a conversation with Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime, informing him of the troop deployment. Fils-Aime’s office confirmed this communication and showed no objection to the new military support, although it preferred “bilateral coordination and operational cooperation within the framework of the Gang Suppression Force.”
The Gang Suppression Force (GSF) is a U.N.-authorized multinational effort aimed at reducing gang violence in Haiti and reinstating the authority of the national government. Initially, the plan called for around 5,500 foreign police officers to bolster the Haitian National Police (HNP). However, until now, the GSF has struggled to meet its intended strength, partly due to the limited number of Kenyan police deployed since 2024.
The foreign ministry of El Salvador mentioned the “large-scale operation” planned for Haiti would receive support from various countries and international organizations, although specific nations were not identified.
On Thursday, Haiti’s provisional government announced elections are scheduled to take place on July 18, with a second round expected in October. If executed, these would mark the first elections in over a decade, as previous elections were postponed due to gang violence.
Romain Le Cour, who leads the Haiti Observatory at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, remarked on Thursday that the specifics of Salvadoran military deployment “remain opaque,” including its command structure.
“Is this yet another deployment model running parallel to the multilateral structure? The U.S. role, which endorsed and facilitated this deployment, should also be examined,” he observed.
Humanitarian organizations voiced their apprehensions that if Salvadoran troops do not coordinate closely with the GNF and HNP before confronting gangs, there could be significant risks for civilians. Davina Hayles, head of mission for Haiti with Doctors Without Borders, noted that blocked roads and bridges have made travel extremely dangerous. In a city where the healthcare system has nearly collapsed, ensuring access to operational health facilities is essential.
