President Nayib Bukele announced that Salvadoran troops deployed to Haiti targeted the 400 Mawozo criminal organization, destroying the house of gang leader Wilson Joseph and the gang’s headquarters in Croix-des-Bouquets.
Salvadoran military presence expands after airmen disappear
El Salvador’s military footprint in Haiti expanded to over 2,500 soldiers following the October 18 disappearance of four Salvadoran aviation technicians who were ambushed in Croix-des-Bouquets, a suburb near Port-au-Prince.
President Bukele initially framed the operation as a rescue mission, warning kidnappers on the social media platform X We have already finished with the gangs in El Salvador, and we can finish with you too,
as reported by Fox News. State Department officials quietly raised objections to El Salvador’s gang-fighting efforts.
The initial 200 Salvadoran personnel operated strictly within the United Nations-backed Gang Suppression Force authorized by the UN Security Council, whereas the additional combat troops were deployed without clear international mandates, published rules of engagement, or transparent agreements with Haitian authorities.
According to Axios, Bukele proceeded to launch military operations after receiving the blessing of Trump, who told him, You have to do what you have to do.
The deployment follows a period in which the UN estimated gangs controlled roughly 90% of the capital, and more than 1.5 million Haitians have been displaced amid severe violence.
Clashes and diplomatic friction
The offensive has resulted in intense urban skirmishes. During an operation in the Plaine du Cul-de-Sac region, two Salvadoran soldiers were wounded, and joint incursions have displaced over 2,000 residents while forcing organizations like Doctors Without Borders to suspend mobile clinics.
President Bukele posted video footage of helicopters circling and firing on the 400 Mawozo site. Regarding an attack on GSF soldiers from Chad, Bukele posted on X that Salvadoran personnel repelled the attack.
Tensions also emerged between El Salvador and U.S. State Department officials following an October 31 gang attack near the American embassy involving a Salvadoran convoy. El Salvador issued a formal diplomatic note providing a point-by-point rebuttal that ruled out stray fire from its personnel striking the embassy facilities. Meanwhile, Amnesty International urged both governments to ensure that all operations comply with international human rights law.
Ana Piquer, Amnesty’s Americas director, called on the leaders to make the deployment agreement public and establish independent investigations into allegations of human rights violations, as noted by Aljazeera. U.S. Chargé d’Affaires David Howell separately complained in a text message to Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé that El Salvador was not coordinating with the GSF and cautioned that their actions could cause casualties.
Political talks in San Salvador
Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé is set to visit El Salvador to discuss the future of Salvadoran troops in his country.