El Salvador is sending more than 2,000 soldiers to Haiti to search for four air force technicians who went missing after an ambush. The country’s foreign ministry announced the deployment on Wednesday, stating that the troops will also assist in operations against armed gangs, according to reports.
The technicians were part of the Gang Suppression Force, a UN-supported multinational mission aimed at bolstering Haitian police. They disappeared on October 18 while returning to their base in an armored vehicle in Croix-des-Bouquets, a region known for gang activity. No group has claimed responsibility for the ambush, which occurred in an area east of Port-au-Prince.
After the incident, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele issued a statement on social media, warning that he would take strong measures against Haitian gangs unless the missing personnel were released. He has indicated that he would apply a similar approach to gang violence in Haiti as he has in El Salvador. However, Bukele expressed skepticism about the identification of four bodies released by Haitian authorities, which they claimed belonged to the missing servicemen. He noted discrepancies, including the presence of a child’s corpse and one that wore a uniform from a different country’s military.
In a recent phone call, Bukele and Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime discussed enhancing cooperation on rescue efforts and security operations. The Salvadoran foreign ministry described the troop deployment as a sizable operation supported by multiple nations and international organizations. It is currently unclear whether these additional Salvadoran forces will integrate with the Gang Suppression Force or operate independently.
Simultaneously, Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council has postponed the first round of upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections from December 13 to July 18, 2027. A second round and local elections are now set for October 4, 2027. The council has extended candidate registration deadlines and introduced online voter registration as fewer than 900,000 of the 6.5 million eligible voters have registered so far. Insecurity and violence have hindered access to registration centers.
Haiti has not conducted elections since 2016, and the political landscape remains precarious following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021. The persistent insecurity has led to repeated postponements of voting.
The United Nations reports that gang-related violence has claimed over 5,700 lives this year, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis. An assessment indicates that nearly 6 million Haitians are facing acute hunger, as ongoing violence disrupts food production and deliveries.
