Haitian citizens express their gratitude in the streets to the soldiers from El Salvador deployed in their country, in images that Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele shared this Wednesday on his X account along with the message in Haitian Creole: «Sanble gang yo pa vle goumen avè n…» («It seems that the gangs do not want to fight with us…»).
The videos, recorded from the air and on the ground, show a military column advancing through the streets of Port-au-Prince while residents express their gratitude to Bukele and the soldiers.
A man on a motorcycle approached the convoy and said in Spanish: "Bukele is my friend, that's my father, thank you very much."
Similar backup samples were also recorded in Kenscoff, southeast of the capital, where residents welcomed the troops with applause and songs.
The Salvadoran deployment in Haiti was triggered by the ambush on October 18 in Croix-des-Bouquets, where four Salvadoran aviation technicians were shot at and attacked with explosives while returning from buying food; their armored vehicle was set on fire and they have not been located since.
In response to that aggression, Bukele issued an ultimatum to the gangs and ordered a rescue operation that increased the Salvadoran military presence from an initial 124 troops to over 2,000 soldiers deployed by the end of October.
The Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé publicly thanked El Salvador for its support and confirmed that operations are coordinated among the Haitian National Police, the Haitian Armed Forces, the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) supported by the UN, and Salvadoran troops.
Bukele also shared a photograph of Salvadoran soldiers alongside the Haitian presidential band, in a symbolic gesture that reinforces the bond between the two governments.
The Salvadoran president has stated that his country covers 90% of the operation's expenses with its own resources: "We are almost the only ones who pay for this operation," he declared at the end of October.
The leader of the 400 Mawozo gang, Wilson Joseph, alias "Lanmò San Jou," requested UN mediation on November 1 and warned of a possible escalation of violence, claiming—without providing evidence—that the four Salvadorans were dead.
The UN confirmed that it received the letter but clarified that this does not imply recognition of the sender or support for its content; additionally, its spokesperson specified that the vast majority of Salvadoran military personnel do not operate under the GSF framework.
On Wednesday, Bukele called those who finance or collaborate with gangs "traitors" in Haiti, comparing them to those who betrayed the Haitian hero Jean-Jacques Dessalines in 1806.
At the close of this edition, the four Salvadoran aerotechnicians were still unaccounted for, even though the National Police of Haiti recovered the burned vehicle on November 2 without finding the missing individuals.
Filed under: