October 25, 2026
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele decided to strengthen his country’s deployment in Haiti by sending 100 special forces soldiers there, according to information reported Thursday, October 22 by the Miami Herald. These soldiers are to participate in the search to find four members of the Salvadoran armed forces missing since the attack on their vehicle by armed gangs, Sunday, in the Santo area, in Croix-des-Bouquets.
The soldiers were traveling in a Toyota Land Cruiser armored vehicle after making purchases at a supermarket, when they were targeted by alleged members of the Chen Mechan gang. According to sources cited by the American daily, the assailants riddled the vehicle with bullets before receiving support from the 400 Mawozo armed group and setting the vehicle on fire using an explosive device.
Although the Armed Forces of El Salvador indicated that the four soldiers had managed to get out of the burning vehicle, their location has remained unknown since Sunday. A source close to the deployment told the Miami Herald that “this is only the beginning,” while a new sending of 100 additional soldiers to Port-au-Prince is also being considered.
This intervention comes as search operations continue in a climate of high tension in the Cul-de-Sac plain. Residents of Santo described an atmosphere of war on Thursday, marked by international forces’ helicopters flying over the area and exchanges of fire with armed groups. The Salvadoran soldiers engaged in Haiti are part of the Gang Suppression Force (FRG), authorized by the United Nations to support Haitian security forces in the fight against criminal organizations.
