politics

Haiti's PM praises Bukele after Salvadoran troops destroy gang base

He first said the deployment was meant to bring home four Salvadoran GSF soldiers who went missing in an ambush on October 18.

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Key facts

  • The strike followed a rapid Salvadoran buildup. Bukele deployed more than 2,000 soldiers after four Salvadoran troops disappeared.
  • More recently he has hinted at a wider goal: eliminating Haiti's powerful gangs, as he did in El Salvador in a campaign that has drawn allegations of…
  • The prime minister nonetheless gave him strong backing. He told reporters,"We support him in all matters of logistics and intelligence, and we will…

The strike followed a rapid Salvadoran buildup. Bukele deployed more than 2,000 soldiers after four Salvadoran troops disappeared.

He first said the deployment was meant to bring home four Salvadoran GSF soldiers who went missing in an ambush on October 18.

More recently he has hinted at a wider goal: eliminating Haiti's powerful gangs, as he did in El Salvador in a campaign that has drawn allegations of rights abuses.

The prime minister nonetheless gave him strong backing. He told reporters,"We support him in all matters of logistics and intelligence, and we will continue to support him for the work they are doing.".

Thousands of Salvadoran troops flown into Haiti since last month have effectively doubled the contingent of foreign soldiers operating there.

The scale of that deployment has raised concerns over rules of engagement and over coordination with a U.N.-backed force already combating Haiti's gangs.

Dig deeper

Who is Bukele?

Nayib Bukele is the president of El Salvador, known for a hardline campaign against gangs that sharply cut violence while drawing allegations of mass arrests and rights abuses.

What is El Salvador?

El Salvador is a small Central American country whose security forces Bukele has now sent to Haiti after four of them went missing.

What is Haiti in this story?

Haiti is a Caribbean country where armed gangs have seized large areas and foreign troops, including a U.N.-backed force, are already fighting them.

What is the U.N.-backed force mentioned here?

It is an international mission already in Haiti to support local police against gangs, now operating alongside a much larger Salvadoran contingent.

Why does the Salvadoran deployment matter?

More than 2,000 troops flown in since last month have roughly doubled foreign soldiers in Haiti and raised questions about rules of engagement and coordination with the existing force.

What is at stake in Bukele’s wider goal?

He has hinted at trying to eliminate Haiti’s gangs the way he targeted them at home, a model Haiti’s prime minister has backed even as rights concerns follow it.

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