El President of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, announced on Wednesday that a group of Haitian gangs had taken hostage four Salvadoran members of an international UN-backed security force. In response, he initiated a military operation to safely rescue them.
The Salvadoran military and the UN Gang Suppression Force, tasked with assisting Haitian law enforcement in combatting powerful gangs, had previously announced efforts to locate the missing Salvadorans. However, the operation was hindered by intense fighting in the area.
Bukele confirmed the military operation to rescue the hostages in a post on X without divulging specific details about the operation or the identity of the group holding the Salvadorans captive. The Gang Suppression Force did not immediately provide a comment on the situation.
The four Salvadorans went missing after they escaped from a burning armored vehicle that was ambushed by armed gangs on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince while returning from a market to their base. Haitian gangs have strengthened their control over the capital and surrounding areas in recent years due to a lack of political stability, widespread extortion, and the influx of illegal arms, primarily from the United States.
Countries like Chad and Sri Lanka have contributed soldiers to the Gang Suppression Force, which, after a year of operation, has only reached about a third of its planned size and has had limited success in improving Haiti’s security situation. Bukele clarified that the missing individuals were aviation technicians and not combatants, emphasizing that their role was primarily focused on medical evacuations and saving lives.
The government of Haiti issued a statement emphasizing the urgent need to secure the release of the abducted aviation technicians, labeling it as a top priority. They confirmed a meeting at the prime minister’s office to evaluate current interventions and strategize on enhancing operations in collaboration with the Gang Repression Force. The government assured that all necessary resources were being mobilized to ensure the safe return of the abducted soldiers.