El Salvador troops arrive in Haiti to search for missing colleagues

PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti – At least 100 members of El Salvador’s special forces have arrived in Haiti following a warning by President Nayib Bukele for those responsible for abducting four Salvadorian soldiers last week to release them immediately. The troops arrived Thursday to assist in the search for their colleagues, who have been missing since Sunday, amid a warning that another 100 Salvadoran soldiers could be sent to Port-au-Prince in the coming days. El Salvador has deployed military personnel as part of the United Nations authorised Gang Suppression Force (GSF) in Haiti, whose mission is to neutralise gangs in Port-au-Prince, secure infrastructure, protect civilians, and support humanitarian aid alongside Haitian forces.

On October 18, armed members of the Chèn Méchan and 400 Mawozo gangs ambushed an armoured vehicle carrying the four Salvadoran soldiers in the Santo area of Croix-des-Bouquets as they returned from a supermarket. The attackers hit the vehicle with gunfire and explosives, forcing the men to flee before losing contact. The area where the attack took place is a known gang stronghold near Port-au-Prince where armed groups control an estimated 70 per cent of the territory.

President Bukele has called on the gangs to release the men saying they are not combatants, but “aeronautical technicians working as part of our mission in Haiti, an international mission. “Our team consists exclusively of pilots and technical personnel; their primary role is to carry out medical evacuations and save lives, not to wage war. Yet, you abducted them in a cowardly manner while they were returning from buying provisions at a local supermarket .” He said El Salvador has launched a military operation to rescue them and their soldiers have “only one objective, to ensure that our four compatriots return home safe and sound.” He issued a warning to the gang leaders that the response will be “nothing compared to what awaits you if you do not release the four hostages, safe and sound.

“And do not mistake our words for empty threats. We have dealt with gangs in El Salvador before, and we are fully capable of doing the same with you. Return our four compatriots to us, safe and sound, and everything will go back to the way it was before the abduction.

The decision is in your hands.” The soldiers have not yet been released or found.