Bukele sends 2,000 troops to Haiti as search continues for missing technicians

El Salvador has deployed a large military presence to Haiti following the disappearance of four of its aviation technicians in mid-October. President Nayib Bukele shared videos on social media Wednesday showing heavily armed Salvadoran soldiers walking through Haitian streets and interacting with local residents. In the accompanying text, Bukele addressed the local gangs directly, telling them to gather their forces so they could fight.

The search for the four missing men intensified this week. Haitian police announced on Tuesday that they found the burned remains of a truck in the Santo neighborhood of Croix-des-Bouquets. Officials stated the vehicle was used by the Salvadoran group. The discovery occurred during a joint operation involving the national police, the UN-backed multinational Gang Suppression Force, and Salvadoran troops. The Croix-des-Bouquets area is one of many zones around Port-au-Prince where gangs maintain strong control.

Bukele ordered the deployment of more than 2,000 troops and military hardware to the Caribbean nation after the technicians vanished on October 18. This move follows a period of strict crime enforcement in El Salvador since Bukele took office in 2019. His administration has jailed tens of thousands of people and maintained a state of emergency that rights groups say has suspended many civil rights. On Tuesday, Bukele posted a video claiming Salvadoran helicopters opened fire on gangs attacking soldiers from Chad. He wrote that the gangs no longer held the upper hand.

Questions have arisen regarding command and control for the foreign forces. Stephane Dujarric, the UN Secretary-General's spokesman, told reporters in New York that only about 200 of the Salvadoran soldiers fall under the jurisdiction of the Gang Suppression Force. Dujarric emphasized that security operations must respect international human rights law. In response, Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime stated that the international forces are operating under Haitian authority. He said on Tuesday that these forces came to support the state and reinforce its capacity, not to replace it.

Local violence has increased since the technicians disappeared. The leader of the 400 Mawozo gang, Wilson Joseph, told the Associated Press that he wrote to the UN Secretary-General to request dialogue. Joseph expressed concern over civilian deaths as fighting escalated. Doctors Without Borders reported that 30 people, including women and children, were injured in the eight days following the October 18 disappearance. The group noted that heavy gunfire and drone explosions made travel to healthcare facilities extremely risky.

Haiti has lacked an elected government since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021. The Provisional Electoral Council announced last month that it would delay national elections. The first round of voting is now scheduled for July 18, 2027, with a second round set for October 4, 2027. Fewer than one million voters have registered so far out of 6.5 million eligible citizens. Gang-controlled roads have hindered registration efforts, and an international assessment released last month stated that 5.94 million Haitians face acute hunger due to interrupted aid delivery.

Davina Hayles, the head of the Doctors Without Borders mission in Haiti, warned that the arrival of additional international security forces could worsen the situation. She stated that the group fears the armed conflict will claim more victims and displace more people in the coming days.