In short
- El Salvador has deployed more than 2,000 soldiers to Haiti to retrieve four missing nationals.
- The four are air force technicians serving with the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force (GSF).
- They were ambushed in Croix-des-Bouquets, an area of Haiti controlled by armed groups, while returning to base in an armoured vehicle.
- Haiti handed over four bodies that Bukele said did not match the missing Salvadorans; he said one was a child’s and another wore a different country’s military uniform.
- The UN says more than 5,700 people were killed in gang-related violence in Haiti this year.
El Salvador has sent more than 2,000 soldiers to Haiti to recover four air force technicians who went missing almost two weeks ago, President Nayib Bukele told Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime. The four were serving with a UN-backed anti-gang mission when they were ambushed.
The Salvadoran foreign ministry announced the “robust deployment” in a statement on Wednesday, saying Bukele had informed Fils-Aime of the move earlier in the week. According to the same statement, the troops will also support ongoing “security efforts against gangs in Haiti”.
What happened to the four Salvadoran soldiers?
The four were technicians with the Gang Suppression Force (GSF), a multinational mission backed by the United Nations. They were travelling back to their base in an armoured vehicle when they were ambushed in Croix-des-Bouquets, an area of the Caribbean country controlled by armed groups. No gang has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Bukele has made the search for the four a central issue in relations with Haiti. El Salvador’s foreign ministry described the recovery operation as “large-scale” and said it was “supported by various countries and international organisations”. The deployment follows the earlier decision by Bukele to send troops to rescue four Salvadorans held in Haiti.
What did Haiti hand over to El Salvador?
Earlier this week, Haitian authorities gave special forces four bodies, saying they belonged to the missing servicemen. Bukele said they did not match. He said one of the corpses was a child’s and another was wearing a different country’s military uniform.
Last week, Bukele threatened in a post on X to wipe out Haiti’s gangs if the Salvadorans were not released, saying he would replicate the action he has taken in El Salvador.
How badly has gang violence hit Haiti?
In October last year, the UN Security Council approved expanded powers for the GSF to tackle worsening gang violence in Haiti. The multinational force has struggled to penetrate areas where gangs hold sway, and armed groups control much of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
More than 5,700 people were killed in gang-related violence in Haiti this year, according to the UN. Haiti has been ravaged by gang violence for years, but the situation worsened in the political vacuum that followed the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021.
Frequently asked questions
How many Salvadoran troops has El Salvador sent to Haiti?
El Salvador has deployed more than 2,000 soldiers to Haiti as part of a mission to retrieve four nationals who went missing almost two weeks ago.
Who are the four missing Salvadorans in Haiti?
They are air force technicians serving with the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force (GSF), who were ambushed in Croix-des-Bouquets while travelling back to their base in an armoured vehicle.
Why did Nayib Bukele reject the bodies handed over by Haiti?
Bukele said the four bodies did not match the missing servicemen, stating that one was a child’s and another was wearing a different country’s military uniform.
How many people were killed in gang violence in Haiti this year?
More than 5,700 people were killed in gang-related violence in Haiti this year, according to the United Nations.
With reporting from BBC News.
Stock image, not from the events described. Free Toronto city skyline monochrome — rawpixel / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)
