El Salvador’s Bukele touts military intervention in Haiti

What the report says

El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has used social media to highlight his country’s military deployment to Haiti, posting videos of Salvadoran soldiers patrolling streets in Port-au-Prince and framing the mission as a fight against gangs. The posts follow the disappearance of four Salvadoran aviation technicians in Haiti on October 18, an incident that prompted El Salvador to send more than 2,000 troops and military equipment to the country.

According to Haitian authorities cited by Al Jazeera, police found the burned vehicle believed to have been used by the missing technicians in the Santo area of Croix-des-Bouquets, outside the capital, during a joint operation involving Haitian police, the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force and Salvadoran troops. The men had not been found as of the report. The article says the area remains heavily influenced by gangs and that security forces are trying to regain control.

The report also notes broader concerns about the foreign military presence. A UN spokesman said security operations should remain within international law and human rights standards, while Haiti’s prime minister said the foreign forces are operating under Haitian authority and are meant to support, not replace, the state. The deployment comes amid deep political instability, delayed elections and worsening humanitarian conditions in Haiti, where violence has disrupted daily life, aid delivery and access to health care.