El Salvador President Disputes Bodies Found in Haiti Belong to Hostages
Nayib Bukele states that remains handed over by an NGO were not those of the four Salvadoran air technicians abducted last week.
El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele announced Sunday that bodies handed over to a special forces mission in Haiti were not those of the four Salvadoran air technicians abducted last week. Bukele stated that a non-governmental organization delivered the human remains to a Haitian airport, claiming they belonged to the missing men.
According to Bukele, one of the delivered corpses was that of a child, and another was wearing a uniform from a different country's army. He posted images showing the identification card of a member of the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force (GSF) and a corresponding national ID card from Chad. Bukele had previously dispatched hundreds of soldiers to Haiti after the four air technicians disappeared following an ambush by heavily armed criminal groups. The hostages were part of the GSF, which is tasked with combating gang violence in Haiti.
The technicians were ambushed while traveling back to their camp in an armored vehicle in an area of Haiti controlled by armed groups. No gang has claimed responsibility for the abduction. Bukele emphasized that the Salvadoran military operation in Haiti's sole purpose was the safe return of the four men. Approximately 450 soldiers have been deployed as part of the mission.
Bukele's statement cast doubt on earlier reports from The New York Times, which cited sources close to the Salvadoran mission suggesting the bodies found on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince were believed to be those of the missing technicians. Those reports indicated the bodies had been badly burned, necessitating medical examination for identification.
Haiti has been struggling with escalating gang violence for years, a situation exacerbated by a political vacuum following the 2021 assassination of its president. The multinational force deployed to quell the violence has faced challenges in gaining access to areas controlled by armed gangs. Between January 1 and September 11 of this year, more than 5,700 people were killed or injured by gangs or during operations against them, according to UN figures released in early October. Bukele had stated that the GSF members in Haiti were primarily engaged in medical evacuations and humanitarian aid, not combat operations. El Salvadoran armed forces reported that helicopters and multiple attempts were made to reach the abducted technicians, but these efforts were hindered by ongoing fighting in the region.