Bukele sends elite troops to Haiti after four Salvadoran soldiers disappear

President Nayib Bukele has ordered a troop deployment to Haiti after the disappearance last Sunday of four Salvadoran soldiers in an area controlled by gangs in Port-au-Prince. As of Friday, at least six aircraft — three Salvadoran and three American — have landed in the Haitian capital with around 100 elite members of the international Gang Suppression Force (GSF) coalition, to carry out search-and-rescue operations.

Bukele sent a message in Creole on Wednesday to Haitian gang leaders via his social networks: “The attack today [referring to Sunday] is nothing compared with what is coming if you do not release the four hostages alive.” At least two gang leaders replied to the president in videos posted on social media in which they challenged the Central American leader.

The four missing Salvadoran soldiers are members of the GSF and were kidnapped at noon last Sunday while buying food in the Santos neighborhood of the capital, according to the official account. In his post, Bukele said the soldiers were attacked by gang members who then burned the armored vehicle they were traveling in.

The circumstances surrounding the incident raise many questions for experts familiar with the conflict in Haiti. “Four Salvadoran soldiers were traveling on a Sunday at noon in an unescorted vehicle in an area controlled by gangs on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince. No one has yet clarified why they were there, and that is a question the authorities will have to answer,” said Romain Le Cour, director of the Haiti Observatory at the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime.

Haiti is enduring a severe humanitarian crisis that worsened after the 2021 assassination of its then-president, Jovenel Moïse. Since then, gangs have expanded their territorial control and carried out dozens of massacres, some resulting in the deaths of hundreds of people. They now control roughly 80% of the capital and have put most state institutions out of operation.

In September 2025 the United Nations Security Council formed the Gang Suppression Force, which has since been conducting operations to try to restore order. “Gangs are increasingly resorting to kidnappings and indiscriminate violence to deter security operations and pressure authorities into negotiations. In Kenscoff, a gang recently killed dozens of people and kidnapped around 50, threatening to kill them if security forces attacked their positions,” said Crisis Group, an organization that analyzes violence in more than 60 countries and conflict zones.

Bukele’s response has raised doubts about its effectiveness in a difficult situation for the civilian population. “Residents have been describing a barrage of fire for nearly a week, and yet there has been no visible progress in the rescue of the four Salvadoran soldiers, which is the very objective of these operations,” said Le Cour. “This is the first time in years that a security incident in Haiti has had — and will continue to have — international repercussions of this magnitude,” he added.

Bukele replied on Friday to the gang leaders’ messages: “God will grant us victory. The Creator of the Universe is with us,” he wrote on his X account. The Salvadoran government did not respond to requests for information about the operations in Haiti.

For Le Cour, the offensive against the gangs could result in serious humanitarian consequences and violations of civilians’ rights. The analyst explains: “Viv Ansanm, the coalition that since 2024 has brought together Haiti’s main gangs, had shown signs of fragmentation in recent months. The incident could restore its cohesion. Two prominent gang leaders spoke this week. These groups intend to hold their ground and the battle for communication on social networks is open.”

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