The Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele ordered the deployment of a hundred elite troops in Haiti following the disappearance of four Salvadoran soldiers kidnapped by gangs on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince last Sunday.
The four military personnel —aeronautical technicians conducting medical evacuations within the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) supported by the UN— were ambushed while returning from buying food in the Santos neighborhood of Croix-des-Bouquets, northeast of the Haitian capital.
According to the official version, the attackers fired hundreds of rounds and used explosives against the armored vehicle, which caught fire, and since then all contact with the four men has been lost.
At least six aircraft —three from El Salvador and three from the United States— landed in Port-au-Prince with elite forces, according to reported France24.
The search operations are focused in the area of Plaine du Cul-de-Sac and the bastions of Santo, Marassa, Shada, and Croix-des-Bouquets, in coordination with the National Police of Haiti.
On Wednesday, Bukele posted a message in Haitian Creole on his X account directed specifically at gang leaders: "Today's attack is nothing compared to what is coming if you do not release the four living hostages."
At least two gang leaders responded with videos on social media, openly challenging the Central American president.
Wilson Joseph, known as "Lanmò San Jou," leader of the 400 Mawozo gang—identified as one of those responsible for the kidnapping alongside Chen Mechan—displayed an arsenal of ammunition as a direct challenge.
This Friday, Bukele responded to those who compared the mission to a foretold defeat, dismissing the warnings with religious arguments: "All those who have enlisted are believers, and we have entrusted this mission to God, while the gangs in Haiti are satanic and it is common knowledge that they commit human sacrifices. God will grant us victory. The Creator of the Universe is with us."
Analysts warn, however, that the offensive has not produced visible results. Romain Le Cour, director of the Haiti Observatory at the Global Initiative organization, noted that "the residents describe a rain of fire that has lasted for almost a week, yet there has been no visible progress in the recovery of the four Salvadoran soldiers, which is the very goal of these operations."
Le Cour also questioned the circumstances of the incident: "Four Salvadoran soldiers were driving on a Sunday afternoon in an unaccompanied vehicle in an area controlled by gangs on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince. No one has clarified yet why they were there."
"It is the first time in years that a security incident in Haiti has, and will continue to have, international repercussions of this magnitude," he concluded.
The analyst also warned that the offensive could restore cohesion to Viv Ansanm, the coalition that brings together the main Haitian gangs since 2024 and that was showing signs of fragmentation before the incident.
Haiti has been facing a devastating humanitarian crisis since the assassination of its president Jovenel Moïse in 2021. Gangs control between 80% and 90% of the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince and have displaced more than 1.4 million people.
The GSF, established by the UN in September 2025 to try to restore order, has authorization for up to 5,500 troops but currently has only 2,000 provided by six countries.
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