El Salvador deploys 2,000 troops to Haiti amid gang violence
El Salvador sent 2,000 troops to Haiti this week to support the UN-backed gang suppression force after a gang attack on Salvadoran members. The deployment aims to recover four missing Salvadoran technicians and is not an invasion, according to President Bukele. Haiti's government confirmed cooperation but experts question the troops' role amid escalating violence.
Brève Publié le (Africa/Lagos, UTC+1) · date de l'événement : 2026-10-30
El Salvador has deployed a convoy of 2,000 heavily armed troops to Haiti this week to assist in fighting gangs, following a gang attack on Salvadoran members of the Gang Suppression Force who went missing.
The Salvadoran soldiers were seen in the Tabarre neighborhood of Port-au-Prince on Friday, equipped with new armored vehicles and automatic weapons.
President Nayib Bukele stated on social media that the deployment is focused on bringing home four missing Salvadoran aviation technicians and is not an operation against the Haitian people nor an invasion.
Haiti’s government confirmed the reinforcement of cooperation with El Salvador within the framework of the UN-backed gang suppression force. However, experts have raised questions about the exact role of Salvadoran troops amid escalating violence.
Since January, more than 5,700 people have been killed or wounded in Haiti due to gang-related violence, according to the United Nations.