El Salvador has deployed more than 2,000 military personnel to Haiti in a mission to recover four soldiers missing since an ambush near Port-au-Prince, with President Nayib Bukele saying the operation could also be used to dismantle the country’s armed gangs.
“If we defeated the gangs here in El Salvador, we can defeat them there,” Bukele told reporters Thursday during an official visit by Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori. He said, however, that El Salvador would withdraw the same day if the four missing military aviation technicians were returned alive.
The Salvadoran Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that the deployment involved more than 2,000 members of the country’s armed forces and was part of a large-scale operation backed by several countries and international organizations.
Pèp ayisyen,
— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) October 29, 2026
Nou prèske fin deplwaye sòlda nou yo ak ekipman nou yo sou tè Ayiti. Sa a se pa yon operasyon kont pèp ayisyen an, ni yon envazyon peyi Ayiti. Nou pa yon gwo pisans. Nou pa gen okenn enterè ni pou nou vin domine pèp ayisyen an, ni pou nou mete men sou richès Ayiti.… pic.twitter.com/AZ1XvdeJje
Text Reads: Haitian people, We have nearly finished deploying our soldiers and equipment on Haitian soil. This is not an operation against the Haitian people, nor an invasion of the country of Haiti. We are not a great power. We have no interest in coming to dominate the Haitian people, nor in laying hands on Haiti’s wealth. We are a modest country that is developing. The only thing we want is for our four aviation technicians to return home. And we’re giving the gangs a lesson—these gangs that make the Haitian people suffer, that kill people the population loves, that prevent them from living a normal, free life, without fear. It’s almost just us footing the bill for this operation. Even though we receive a bit of logistical help from a few other countries, it’s with our own modest funds that we’re covering 90% of the expenses. It costs us dearly, but we’ve learned from our own suffering: justice and peace have no price. We went through the same suffering that Haiti is going through today. We lived through a nightmare that was even more horrific than what the Haitian people are enduring right now. We know what that means: living in fear, not trusting politicians, not believing anyone who promises to help you. Because no one came to help us, and those who did come didn’t have good intentions in their hearts. But we managed to escape it. After 200 years of suffering, finally we’re living in peace, and today we are the safest country on the continent. We didn’t come to Haiti to make money, because no one is paying us to do it. We came to Haiti to fight against the wicked. But here’s what I’m asking of you: trust us, pray to the one true God, and ask Him to heal Haiti. “If at that time my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, where I am, I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14 Help us help Haiti. And when our mission is finished, we’ll return home. Perhaps the next generation of Haitians will remember us as friends who came to help one day.
Bukele rejected suggestions that the deployment amounted to an invasion, insisting that his government had no intention of occupying Haiti or asserting control over its population. In a post on X earlier Thursday, he said the mission had received authorization at both national and international levels and was focused on rescuing the missing personnel alive.
He also vowed to confront the gangs responsible for their abduction, arguing that Salvadoran forces knew how to deal with criminal organizations of this kind. Bukele described the confrontation as a battle between good and evil, saying his government stood on the side of good.
El Salvador had already been participating in the Gang Suppression Force (GSF), but its involvement in Haiti’s security crisis deepened after an ambush on Oct. 18 on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince. The attack targeted a vehicle carrying four Salvadoran military personnel, who have been missing since the incident.
The Salvadoran contingent includes special forces personnel and represents the largest deployment by a single country in Haiti since the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) ended in 2017. The UN mission operated in the country from 2004 to 2017.
Reports circulated last Saturday that human remains potentially belonging to the four missing personnel had been found. Bukele dismissed those reports.
Bukele has maintained that recovering the four personnel alive is the operation’s primary objective and said their return would prompt the immediate withdrawal of Salvadoran forces.
La presidenta peruana, Keiko Fujimori, anunció este jueves en El Salvador que construirá nuevas cárceles inspiradas en el modelo de mano dura de Nayib Bukele y que pretende adoptar algunas de sus severas medidas de aislamiento y control de los reclusos. El anuncio se produjo después de que la mandataria recorriera el Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (Cecot), la megacárcel convertida en símbolo de la política de encarcelamiento masivo con la que Bukele ha combatido a las pandillas. Fujimori busca incorporar parte de esa estrategia a su ofensiva contra el crimen organizado en el Perú.
© Rodrigo Sura (EFE)
The foreign ministry of El Salvador said on Wednesday that over 2,000 troops will be dispatched to Haiti to support ongoing U.N. anti-gang operations and rescue four missing Salvadoran aircraft technicians.
The post El Salvador Pledges 2,000 Troops to Restore Order in Haiti appeared first on Breitbart.
The Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) reported that no presidential ticket has yet completed formal registration, a step the Electoral Code requires to be done in person. Voters will fill 582 public posts, including the presidency, 60 Legislative Assembly seats, and 44 municipal councils, with mayoralties, municipal trustee offices and council seats also on the ballot.
RELATED: El Salvador Sets Feb. 28, 2027 Date For General Elections
Nuevas Ideas party (New Ideas) has put forward Nayib Bukele and Félix Ulloa for reelection as president and vice president. On the other hand, the FMLN party ticket would pair physician and union leader Rafael Aguirre with nurse Madaí Santos. According to media reports, Arena party would run lawyer Mayteé Iraheta for head of state and agricultural engineer Verónica Henríquez for vice president. Meanwhile, the PCN internally chose General Alirio García Flamenco and former San José Guayabal mayor Mauricio Vilanova, pending formal ratification.
Six other parties will not field presidential tickets: Fuerza Solidaria, Democracia Salvadoreña and PAÍS opted against nominating a ticket; PDC and GANA backed Bukele’s reelection project; and Vamos withdrew, arguing that the current officeholder’s continuity violates the Constitution.
Bukele and Ulloa ran for reelection in July 2023 despite its unconstitutionality. In August 2025, with full control of Parliament, Nuevas Ideas approved indefinite presidential reelection.
El Tribunal Supremo Electoral de El Salvador convocó oficialmente las elecciones generales para el 28 de febrero de 2027, en una jornada donde más de 6,5 millones de salvadoreños están llamados a votar. ¿Qué está en juego en estos comicios?
— teleSUR TV (@teleSURtv) October 1, 2026
Entra al enlace y conoce los detalles… pic.twitter.com/eHs72zX3oE
The 2027 process will for the first time apply the constitutional amendment removing presidential term limits, opening the way for unlimited consecutive candidacies. The measure was approved in 2025 through an expedited procedure pushed by the ruling Nuevas Ideas bench in the Legislative Assembly, without public consultations. The amendment removed provisions barring consecutive terms, extended the presidential term to six years, eliminated the runoff election and reorganized the institutional calendar to shorten the current term so that presidential, legislative and municipal elections coincide on a single general election day.
Opposition sectors and social organizations rejected it, saying the amendment alters the Constitution’s 1983 principles of alternation in power.
The weakened Latin American left is celebrating Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s epic comeback in grand style — the “Pelé of progressivism” who is preparing to become president of Brazil for a fourth time. From Mexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum to Colombia’s Gustavo Petro, and including Argentina’s Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and Chile’s Gabriel Boric, the bloc was quick to hail Lula’s victory as soon as it became irreversible, despite the defeated Flávio Bolsonaro’s promise to seek to annul the election. The right, split between acknowledging the result and remaining silent, has left Bolsonaro alone in his challenge.
© Presidencia de Brasil (REUTERS)
President Nayib Bukele has ordered a troop deployment to Haiti after the disappearance last Sunday of four Salvadoran soldiers in an area controlled by gangs in Port-au-Prince. As of Friday, at least six aircraft — three Salvadoran and three American — have landed in the Haitian capital with around 100 elite members of the international Gang Suppression Force (GSF) coalition, to carry out search-and-rescue operations.
© Patrice Noel (REUTERS)
Within the first two months of the state of emergency in El Salvador imposed by President Nayib Bukele back in 2022, two of Gladis Álvarez’s sons were arrested and accused of being gang associates. Since then, the 53-year-old woman’s life has fallen apart. “There were eight of us in my family. Now, I’m the only one left,” Álvarez laments. “Since my sons were arrested, our lives have been destroyed in a terrible way,” she adds.
© Jose Cabezas (REUTERS)
© Michael Anthony Adams/The New York Times
© Fred Ramos for The New York Times
© Fred Ramos for The New York Times
The office of Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé said in a statement that the government is fully mobilized and intends to assert state authority with the greatest firmness against armed groups. It called the soldiers’ release an absolute priority and said all necessary resources are being mobilized to achieve that goal.
RELATED: Salvadoran President Bukele Issues Stern Warning to Haitian Gangs
The prime minister met with competent authorities to assess the situation comprehensively and to determine, in close collaboration with the Salvadoran Gang Suppression Force (GSF), measures to reinforce ongoing operations against the armed gangs that attacked the vehicle carrying the Salvadorans.
Haitian security forces and the GSF have conducted an intense search since Sunday for the four Salvadoran aviation technicians, with whom contact was lost after the ambush in the Santo area of the Croix-des-Bouquets commune, within the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area.
#Haiti | The UN Security Council reaffirms its commitment to the Gang Suppression Force despite armed attacks and the kidnapping of four Salvadoran personnel. Rescue efforts continue as international forces maintain their security mission.#UnitedNations #teleSUREnglish pic.twitter.com/kKX5oDtQ0i
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) October 23, 2026
In its first official statement on the attack, the Prime Minister’s Office said that given the seriousness of the act, the State reaffirms its authority and determination, and that security forces are continuing operations firmly to secure the soldiers’ release and protect human life.
The GSF reported Tuesday that several members of the gangs controlling most of Port-au-Prince were killed and others wounded in clashes with forces searching for the Salvadoran military personnel. The GSF also reported that four of its own personnel were wounded during the operation and received medical care.
On October 18, 2026, an explosive ambush in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, targeted an armored vehicle with four Salvadoran Air Force aviation technicians attached to the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force.
Forced to evacuate after their vehicle caught fire, the four support personnel were kidnapped by Haitian armed groups operating near the capital.
RELATED: Salvadoran President Bukele Issues Stern Warning to Haitian Gangs
In response, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele announced a military rescue operation led by Task Force Libertad II, threatening an expanded offensive against Haitian gangs if the hostages are not safely returned.
In addition, the government of Haiti stated that it will work in conjunction with the United Nations Gang Suppression Force (GSF) mission to rescue the kidnapped Salvadorans.
While the Haitian government and international bodies coordinate security protocols, Bukele’s unilateral escalation in a foreign country projects his signature “iron-fist” stance against gangs onto the international stage, all with the backing of the United States.
The UN Security Council established the “Gang Suppression Force” that operates in Haiti. Created in October 2023 as the Multinational Security Support Mission following the Haitian government, the international force was reorganized in October 2025 into the Gang Suppression Force.
As of October 2026, the authorized strength of the Gang Suppression Force stands at 5,550 personnel, though deployed uniformed troops numbered 1,563 as of mid-October.
The Gang Suppression Force mandate focuses on assisting the Haitian National Police, protecting critical infrastructure, and restoring order across urban centers controlled by armed coalitions.
The region where the October 18 ambush took place, Croix-des-Bouquets, is controlled by several prominent armed groups. Security evaluations list the Chèn Méchan, Kraze Barye, and 400 Mawozo groups among the primary organizations holding territorial control over the corridor connecting Port-au-Prince to the Dominican border.
Key leaders of these groups, including Vitelhomme Innocent of Kraze Barye and Lanmo Sanjou of 400 Mawozo, are subject to active sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council and the U.S. government.
Data released by the UN indicates that between January and mid-September 2026, Haitian gang-related violence resulted in more than 5,700 deaths and injuries, alongside more than 230 reported kidnappings. Over 1.5 million residents remain internally displaced due to gang territorial expansion.
Foreign workers, international humanitarian staff, and local civilians have consistently been targeted for kidnapping as Haitian criminal groups use hostages for financial leverage or political concessions.
President Bukele addressed the Haitian gang leaders directly, publishing a message written in Haitian Creole on October 21, 2026. Bukele stated that the four technicians were non-combatant technical personnel and warned that current operations were minor compared to potential future actions.
Addressing the gang leadership, Bukele wrote: “We have already finished with the gangs in El Salvador, and we can finish with you too. Return our four compatriots alive and unharmed, and everything will return to how it was before the kidnapping. The decision is in your hands”.
Reactions from official international bodies followed the announcement of the rescue campaign. At a meeting of the UN Security Council, Mike Waltz, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, condemned the ambush and affirmed that international search efforts would continue.
Waltz stated that attacks on international contingents would not compel the Gang Suppression Force to withdraw from its mandate. Simultaneously, Salvadoran Ambassador to the UN Egriselda López formally requested international coordination to secure the location and release of the four kidnapped personnel.
The Haitian government also issued an official response regarding the crisis. In an executive statement, Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé announced that securing the release of the four Salvadoran technicians was an absolute priority for the national administration.
Haiti: According to a statement issued on October 18 by El Salvador’s Armed Forces (@FUERZARMADASV), four Salvadoran aviation technicians from Task Force Libertad II were ambushed by armed gangs while returning to their camp in an armored vehicle. The vehicle was set on fire, but… pic.twitter.com/2R2TCCpkJP
— lequotidien509 in English (@lequotidien509E) October 19, 2026
The diplomatic and institutional responses to the kidnapping of the four Salvadoran technicians highlight the complex interactions between national military initiatives and international peacekeeping frameworks.
At the institutional level, the United Nations operates under structured protocols regarding force security and hostage negotiation. Officials within the UN framework maintain that search and rescue operations must adhere to rules of engagement established for the Gang Suppression Force to prevent operational conflict among contributing member states.
The Haitian government under Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé has aligned its public stance with the international mission, declaring the recovery of the personnel a primary national objective.
However, the administrative capacity of the Haitian state remains restricted, as law enforcement agencies depend on foreign logistical, intelligence, and tactical support to operate within gang-controlled corridors like Croix-des-Bouquets.
Diplomatic representatives from key UN Security Council member states, including United States, have reinforced support for the mission while addressing the threats posed by armed groups. Statements issued during Security Council proceedings reaffirmed that attacks against international contingents will not alter the mandate or compel the withdrawal of the Gang Suppression Force.
To the gang bosses terrorizing Haiti, your days of operating with impunity are numbered. The Gang Suppression Force is coming for you. pic.twitter.com/lkkfJLmiO6
— Ambassador Mike Waltz (@USAmbUN) October 19, 2026
The armored vehicle transporting four aviation technicians from the Salvadoran Air Force was ambushed in Croix-des-Bouquets, a commune located near Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti. Following the explosion, the four Salvadoran technicians were forced to evacuate the vehicle and were subsequently kidnapped.
Initial search and rescue efforts of the four Salvadorans faced immediate armed resistance. On October 19, a search helicopter dispatched to locate the personnel was targeted by gunfire.
Subsequent joint counter-offensives conducted by the multinational security contingent and the Haitian National Police in the Plaine du Cul-de-Sac area resulted in severe clashes, leaving several gang members dead and four multinational security personnel injured.
El Salvador deployed the missing personnel to Haiti as part of its specialized military contingent, known as Task Force Libertad II. El Salvador’s initial military involvement in Haiti began after the Salvadoran Legislative Assembly passed a decree on October 30, 2024.
That measure authorized the deployment of Salvadoran Air Force personnel, including pilots, air mechanics, and medical evacuation units, to support international security operations.
In early 2025, eight aviation technicians arrived in Haiti, followed by an additional 70 military personnel. On September 29, 2026, the Salvadoran Legislative Assembly voted to extend the military deployment through October 2027 and expanded the mandate.
The updated legislative mandate lets Salvadoran troops engage beyond medical evacuations, allowing them to deploy personnel based on operational requirements dictated by security needs in the field.
Task Force Libertad II operates under these expanded terms, providing technical aviation logistics, air support maintenance, and operational security inside the country.
The four Salvadoran kidnapped were serving as non-combatant aviation support specialists within Task Force Libertad II. Following days of uncertainty regarding their status, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele made a public statement on October 21, 2026, confirming that the kidnapping was executed by armed gangs from Haiti.
El Salvador prez announces MILITARY OP to rescue hostages kidnapped by gangs in Haiti
— RT (@RT_com) October 21, 2026
Aviation technicians 'kidnapped in a cowardly manner' — Bukele
'Today's attack is NOTHING compared to what is coming if we do not get all 4 hostages back alive' pic.twitter.com/7WkyhLvuoQ
President Nayib Bukele’s public declaration led El Salvador to escalate its physical military presence in Haiti. On October 22, 2026, the Salvadoran government deployed 100 special forces soldiers to Port-au-Prince to assist in locating and securing the release of the four missing aviation technicians.
This deployment brought additional tactical ground units to support the existing aviation support unit attached to Task Force Libertad II.
Before October 2026, the Salvadoran contingent operated primarily as an air support unit focused on logistics, maintenance, and medical evacuations. The introduction of dedicated special operations personnel expands the operational parameters of the mission, introducing direct combat and search-and-recovery capabilities alongside the Gang Suppression Force and the Haitian National Police.
The deployment of specialized personnel aims to mitigate these conditions through targeted intelligence collection and rapid-response capabilities.
While the deployment of specialized tactical units and the escalated military posture by El Salvador aim to address the immediate security emergency, long-term stabilization in Haiti depends on addressing broader structural issues.
The proliferation of heavy weaponry, sustained by international trafficking routes, continues to provide armed groups with substantial tactical capacity within urban sectors.
Furthermore, long-standing economic instability, institutional fragmentation, and high rates of poverty create conditions that enable armed organizations to maintain territorial influence despite international security deployments.
Military rescue missions and tactical escalations provide targeted responses to specific security threats, such as the kidnapping of Task Force Libertad II personnel.
However, international observers and analysts emphasize that sustainable security across Port-au-Prince and surrounding communes requires comprehensive institutional reform, economic development, and consistent administrative governance alongside law enforcement actions.
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has launched a military rescue operation in Haiti following the abduction of four Salvadoran soldiers by local armed groups. In a stern statement on Wednesday, Bukele demanded the immediate, safe release of the personnel and warned of a severe… pic.twitter.com/QIQS18JGso
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) October 22, 2026
Sources: TeleSUR – Al Jazeera – DW – BBC – CNN – La Prensa Gráfica – elsalvador.com – EFE – El Diario de Hoy – RSF – El Faro – presidencia.gov.sv – Asociación de Periodistas de El Salvador – Dialnet – Resumen Latinoamericano.
On Wednesday, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele issued a stern warning to Haitian gangs after the kidnapping of four Salvadoran citizens who were part of an international security mission deployed in Haiti.
RELATED: Haiti Seeks Security Guarantees Ahead of Dec. 13 Elections
The four missing men are members of the Gang Suppression Force, a United Nations-backed unit tasked with combating armed groups that control large swathes of the Caribbean country.
According to reports, the Salvadorans were ambushed last Sunday while returning to their base from a supermarket in the town of Croix-des-Bouquets, on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince.
The armored vehicle they were traveling in was hit by explosives and caught fire during the attack. Although the soldiers managed to escape the vehicle, their whereabouts have been unknown since.
Bukele assured that an operation is already underway to locate and rescue the four Salvadorans. The president emphasized that the hostages are technicians and support staff dedicated to humanitarian work and medical evacuations.
🇸🇻🇭🇹 Bukele inicia operación militar en Haití para rescatar a cuatro connacionales
— Sputnik Mundo (@SputnikMundo) October 22, 2026
🚨 El presidente de El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, arrancó esta estrategia ante el presunto secuestro de cuatro técnicos militares retenidos por pandillas haitianas.
🗣 "Señores, los secuestrados no… pic.twitter.com/BoXNaTY9JN
The text reads, “Bukele Launches Military Operation in Haiti to Rescue Four Nationals. The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, kicked off this strategy in response to the alleged kidnapping of four military technicians held by Haitian gangs.”
The president warned gang leaders that the current operation “is nothing compared to what’s coming” if the hostages are not released alive. At the same time, he offered the “possibility” of avoiding further consequences through their prompt release.
Bukele also reiterated that his government has launched an intense offensive against gangs in El Salvador and affirmed that it will act decisively to protect its citizens.
The Gang Suppression Force and special units of the Haitian National Police are maintaining operations in the area where the kidnapping occurred. During recent clashes, several members of armed groups were killed.
The incident comes amid the serious security crisis in Haiti, where thousands of people have died in recent years due to gang violence. Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime described the search for the four Salvadorans as an absolute priority for the country’s authorities.
El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele announced on October 13 his intention to release nearly 50% of the prisoners accused of collaborating with gangs in the country. According to the president, the measure would involve early release, albeit conditional.
“We have a plan that would benefit roughly 50% (give or take) of the prisoners in El Salvador who have collaborated with gangs … In other words, early release – meaning they are guilty but are released conditionally. Released under supervision,” Bukele told the press.
In this regard, he said that his government would evaluate the situation of each detainee to keep the country free from the structural violence that has plagued it for decades: “Considering that we come from a country where violence was part of everyday life and gangs were the real government, the real dictatorship. These people lived under that yoke, but it is not the same to be among those who enforced it as it is to simply survive that reality.”
If we take into account the figure provided by the authorities (according to which nearly 100,000 people are currently detained on various charges) this could mean the release of tens of thousands of people.
Before Bukele took office, El Salvador was in the throes of a severe crisis of insecurity and violence. His administration imposed a perpetual state of emergency that began in 2022 and has led to the imprisonment of thousands of Salvadorans accused of belonging to gangs (or “maras”) that controlled large swaths of the Central American country.
And while the pacification of the streets has been celebrated by a significant portion of the population, the harsh actions of the government and its police and military forces have drawn criticism from various human rights organizations, which have accused the government of excessive use of force, mistreatment of prisoners, and the unjust detention of individuals who do not belong to gangs.
Another criticism has been leveled at the practice of mass trials, which charge and convict a large number of people at the same time. Rights groups say this has led to countless errors in the treatment of individual defendants. Added to this are allegations of arbitrary detentions, crimes against humanity, and disappearances.
The prison system implemented by Bukele in El Salvador has also faced international criticism. The Central American country became a focal point of controversy when hundreds of people deported from the United States were detained in the Salvadoran prison system, which drew widespread criticism of the Bukele government.
Bukele, however, had defended the decision and reaffirmed his alliance with the Donald Trump administration and his participation in the Washington-led geopolitical and military initiative known as Shield of the Americas.
The news of the possible release of tens of thousands of detainees sparked even more intrigue, considering that Bukele’s announcement came immediately after his conversation with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in which they discussed combating “malign foreign influence.” However, it remains unclear how the two issues are linked, according to El País.
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