El Salvador has deployed more than 2,000 soldiers to Haiti in an operation aimed at retrieving four Salvadoran nationals who went missing nearly two weeks ago. El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele informed Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime of the deployment earlier this week, according to a statement from the El Salvadoran foreign ministry.
Bukele also indicated that the soldiers would support ongoing security efforts against gangs in Haiti. The deployment follows heightened tensions between the two nations after the four air force technicians, part of a UN-backed anti-gang organization, disappeared. The servicemen were ambushed in an area controlled by armed groups known as Croix-des-Bouquets while returning to their base in an armored vehicle. No gang has claimed responsibility for the ambush.
The El Salvadoran foreign ministry described the operation as large-scale and stated it is supported by various countries and international organizations. Earlier in the week, Haiti presented four bodies to special forces, claiming they belonged to the missing servicemen. However, Bukele rejected this, noting that one corpse was that of a child and another wore a foreign military uniform.
Last week, Bukele had threatened on social media to eradicate Haiti's gangs, drawing a parallel to actions taken in El Salvador, if the missing nationals were not released. The situation in Haiti has been exacerbated by persistent gang violence, which intensified following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021. The UN Security Council approved expanded powers for the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) in October of the previous year to combat the escalating violence. Despite these efforts, gangs continue to control much of the capital, and the UN reports that over 5,700 people have been killed in gang-related violence this year.