El Salvador has sent over 2,000 troops to Haiti and says they helped destroy a gang's headquarters. Welcome help against the gangs, or a risky precedent?
Bukele sent the troops after four Salvadoran aviation technicians serving with the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force went missing in an ambush on 18 October. The UN says only about 200 of the troops fall under that force. Haiti's prime minister praised the 8 November strike near Port-au-Prince; Amnesty International urged both governments to respect human rights law.
What happened
On 8 November a Haitian police task force backed by Salvadoran troops attacked a house in Croix-des-Bouquets, near Port-au-Prince, belonging to Wilson Joseph, leader of the 400 Mawozo gang. Video posted by President Nayib Bukele shows helicopters firing on it, and he said his forces had destroyed the gang's headquarters. A Miami Herald report of 20 deaths has not been confirmed. Bukele sent more than 2,000 troops after four Salvadoran technicians went missing on 18 October; they have not been found.
Why people disagree
Supporters point to years of gang violence that has helped push Haiti's first elections in over a decade back to 2027, and note that Haiti's prime minister welcomes the help and says foreign forces work under Haitian authority. Critics say most of the Salvadoran troops sit outside the UN-backed force, leaving it unclear who answers for their use of force, and point to rights-abuse allegations against Bukele's anti-gang crackdown at home.
What's still unclear
How many people died in the strike, whether the four missing technicians are alive, how the Salvadoran troops coordinate with the UN-backed force, and how long Bukele intends them to stay.
Sources
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