President Nayib Bukele has denied allegations that Salvadoran forces engaged in “indiscriminate bombing” of civilians in Haiti during a rescue operation. His comments follow an October 28 letter from Harvey Dupiton, founder of the United Nations Association – Haiti (UNA-Haiti), which was sent to UN Secretary General António Guterres.
In the letter, Dupiton claimed that Salvadoran forces conducted aerial bombardments and armed assaults on civilian neighborhoods in locations such as Croix-des-Bouquets, Canaan, and the Plaine du Cul-de-Sac. He stated, “Children are being killed not by gangs, but by foreign bombs,” and characterized the situation as a “slaughter of innocents.”
Dupiton outlined a four-point demand that includes a call for El Salvador to cease its “offensive bombing operations in Haiti” and to initiate an independent UN investigation into the civilian casualties allegedly caused by Salvadoran troops. He also urged the UN Security Council to clarify that El Salvador does not have the right to conduct unilateral military actions in Haiti and called for the protection of civilians from gang violence and foreign forces.
In a response posted on X, Bukele challenged the claims regarding bombardments and gunship attacks, emphasizing that El Salvador’s military mission in Haiti does not include bombs. He noted that attack helicopters were only dispatched to Haiti on October 29, the day after Dupiton’s communication with the UN.
Bukele accused certain NGOs of spreading misinformation, labeling them as “nothing more than lobbying firms for criminals and cartels, masquerading as humanitarian organizations.”
El Salvador has sent more than 2,000 soldiers and seven helicopters to Haiti for a specific mission to rescue four Salvadoran Air Force technicians who were kidnapped during a gang ambush near Port-au-Prince.
