El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele announced Wednesday that he had initiated a military operation to secure the release of four Salvadoran aviation technicians taken by gangs in Haiti. The kidnapping followed an attack on an armored vehicle three days earlier, marking the first major assault on the international gang suppression force operating in the country. The four soldiers disappeared after abandoning the burning vehicle in the Santo area of Croix-des-Bouquets, Port-au-Prince.
Bukele directed his message at Haitian gang leaders, demanding the immediate return of the technicians in good health. He cautioned that compliance would result in the situation returning to its previous state, while non-compliance would trigger a significantly more forceful military response. The Salvadoran president shared video footage showing armored vehicles with damaged windows moving through smoke-filled streets and emphasized that his warnings should not be dismissed.
Haiti’s government responded the same evening, characterizing the incident as a matter of urgent priority. Officials indicated that discussions occurred at the prime minister’s office to assess current interventions and determine additional measures needed to strengthen operations with the Gang Repression Force. The government stated that all available resources would be deployed to achieve the hostages’ release, though it remained unclear whether Haitian authorities had verified the soldiers’ status.
The incident underscores the ongoing security challenges in Haiti, where gangs are estimated to control approximately 70 percent of Port-au-Prince. The multinational gang suppression force, comprising troops from El Salvador, Chad, Jamaica, Guatemala, and other nations, has approximately 2,000 personnel deployed in the country. Early this month, El Salvador extended its armed forces’ participation in the operation for an additional year and expanded the mission’s authority beyond medical evacuations. The U.N. Security Council granted the multinational force a minimum six-month extension through March 2027.
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