El Salvador has announced the deployment of more than 2,000 soldiers to Haiti following the disappearance of four Salvadoran aviation technicians who were ambushed by armed gangs nearly two weeks ago.
El Salvador's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the deployment on Wednesday. President Nayib Bukele had communicated the decision to Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime in a telephone call the same day. Fils-Aime's office said the two leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation on rescue efforts and security operations.
The four Salvadoran technicians disappeared on October 18 after armed men ambushed their vehicle in Croix-des-Bouquets, east of the capital Port-au-Prince. They were serving with an international security mission supporting Haitian police. No armed group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Earlier this week, Haitian authorities handed over four bodies to Salvadoran special forces, claiming they belonged to the missing servicemen. Bukele rejected the identification, saying one of the corpses was a child's and another was wearing a different country's military uniform.
The foreign ministry described the operation as a "large-scale" and "robust deployment" supported by various countries and international organisations. It remains unclear whether the additional Salvadoran troops will join the United Nations-backed Gang Suppression Force, a multinational mission assisting Haitian police, or operate separately.
In an October 21 post on X, written in Haitian Creole, Bukele threatened to destroy Haiti's gangs if they did not release the missing personnel. He said he would replicate the anti-gang measures he has pursued in El Salvador.
The deployment comes as Haiti postponed its elections for the second time. The country's nine-member Provisional Electoral Council announced on Wednesday that the first round of presidential and parliamentary elections, previously scheduled for December 13, has been moved to July 18, 2027. A second round and local polls were scheduled for October 4, 2027.
The council also extended deadlines for candidate registration and introduced online voter registration. According to reports, fewer than 900,000 people had registered by Wednesday out of 6.5 million Haitians holding the identification cards required to enrol. Gang-controlled roads make it difficult to reach registration centres, while violence has displaced large numbers of people from their homes.
Haiti has held no elections since 2016. Its last elected president, Jovenel Moise, was assassinated in 2021. Successive transitional authorities have repeatedly delayed a return to voting, citing insecurity.
Foreign troops have been present in Haiti under UN-backed security arrangements since 2024, partly to help create safer conditions for elections. In October last year, the UN Security Council approved expanded powers for the Gang Suppression Force to tackle worsening gang violence. The multinational force has struggled to penetrate areas where armed groups hold sway.
More than 5,700 people were killed in gang-related violence in Haiti this year, according to the United Nations. Armed gangs control much of the capital.
A food security assessment released on Wednesday found that 5.94 million Haitians face acute hunger, including 1.8 million in emergency conditions, as violence disrupts farming and food deliveries. The number facing acute hunger is projected to rise to 6.35 million by mid-2027.
