Salvadoran military arrives in Haiti

Nearly 1,300 Salvadoran soldiers are expected to arrive in Haiti within a week, according to the Haitian newspaper Le Nouvelliste. The deployment includes military personnel and members of special forces, making it the largest force sent by a single country to Haiti since the end of the United Nations peacekeeping mission Minustah in 2017.

Flights bring soldiers and equipment

According to The Miami Herald, flights carrying Salvadoran soldiers and cargo planes loaded with equipment and vehicles have been landing in Haiti daily. The newspaper reports that more than a dozen such flights have been recorded since October 21, with hundreds of additional soldiers still expected to arrive.

President threatens Haitian gangs

On October 21, El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, issued a threat in Creole on social media, warning Haitian gangs of retaliation if they did not release four Salvadoran soldiers who disappeared on October 18. The soldiers were part of an ambush attributed to the gangs, which occurred east of Port-au-Prince.

Salvadoran soldiers part of UN initiative

The four soldiers who disappeared were aeronautical technicians deployed as part of the Gang Suppression Force (FRG) in Haiti. This force was established last year under the United Nations to help combat gang violence in the country.