Nearly 100 El Salvador troops arrive to search for missing colleagues

PORT-AU-PRINCE (CMC):

At least 100 members of El Salvador’s special forces have arrived in Haiti to help search for four Salvadoran soldiers abducted by gangs last week, as President Nayib Bukele warned their captors to release them immediately.

The troops landed on Thursday, days after the four men disappeared on Sunday. Salvadoran authorities have indicated that a further 100 soldiers could be deployed to Port-au-Prince in the coming days.

El Salvador contributes personnel to the United Nations-authorised Gang Suppression Force (GSF), which supports Haitian security forces in efforts to curb gang violence, secure key infrastructure, protect civilians, and facilitate humanitarian operations.

The four soldiers were ambushed on October 18 in Santo, Croix-des-Bouquets, as they returned from a supermarket. Armed members of the Chèn Méchan and 400 Mawozo gangs attacked their armoured vehicle with gunfire and explosives, forcing the men to flee before contact was lost.

The area, on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, is a well-known gang stronghold in a country where armed groups are estimated to control about 70 per cent of the capital.

President Bukele urged the kidnappers to release the men, stressing that they were not combat troops.

“They are not combatants, but aeronautical technicians working as part of our mission in Haiti, an international mission.

“Our team consists exclusively of pilots and technical personnel; their primary role is to carry out medical evacuations and save lives, not to wage war. Yet, you abducted them in a cowardly manner while they were returning from buying provisions at a local supermarket.”

Bukele said El Salvador had launched a military operation to recover the soldiers and that the force deployed to Haiti had “only one objective, to ensure that our four compatriots return home safe and sound”.

He also warned gang leaders that the response would be “nothing compared to what awaits you if you do not release the four hostages, safe and sound”.

“And do not mistake our words for empty threats. We have dealt with gangs in El Salvador before, and we are fully capable of doing the same with you. There is still time to avoid this.

“Return our four compatriots to us, safe and sound, and everything will go back to the way it was before the abduction. The decision is in your hands.”

The four soldiers remain missing.

Meanwhile, the United Nations said on Friday that continuing violence was fuelling fresh displacement across Haiti.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 7,000 people have fled Petite-Rivière in the Artibonite department over the past four days, while another 3,000 have been displaced in Arcahaie, west of the capital.

Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres, said the latest movements added to an increasingly dire humanitarian situation.

“More than 17,000 human beings were displaced in that department alone last month, with many families finding refuge within the community, staying with host families, as movements within towns remain severely disrupted due to ongoing insecurity. We and our partners are working with local authorities to monitor the situation and assess urgent needs.”

Dujarric said humanitarian needs continued to outpace available resources.

“The 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Haiti is only 49 per cent funded. More money is needed, and that is rather urgent,” he said.