Salvadoran military set to bolster Haiti security mission

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Overview: A contingent of the Salvadoran military personnel will join the Kenya-led mission in Haiti to provide medical support, participate in street patrols and manage aerial surveillance necessary to support the Haitian police operations.

PORT-AU-PRINCE — El Salvador officially signed the agreement on Oct. 3 to join the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission aimed at combating gang violence in Haiti. The Organization of American States (OAS) holds the signed agreement, marking the culmination of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele’s long-standing proposal and commitment to assist in Haiti’s security operations.

While an exact deployment date is still unknown, officials have indicated that Salvadoran troops will soon arrive to support the Haitian National Police (PNH), providing essential aerial surveillance, medical assistance, and street patrols.

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“Imminent deployment of Salvadoran troops to Haiti,” Gandy Thomas, Haiti’s Permanent Representative to the OAS, posted on X following the signing by Salvadoran diplomat Jeannette Acevedo Castillo.

Thomas further stated, “This accession marks a crucial and decisive step in the fight against armed violence in Haiti,” emphasizing the value of El Salvador’s experience in combating criminal gangs.

Speaking to The Haitian Times, a source from the Kenya-led MSS confirmed that El Salvador will oversee air operations, although details remain scarce. According to the source, Salvadoran military officials are set to assess the type of helicopters needed for operations.

Beyond aerial surveillance, Salvadoran troops will provide healthcare to mission personnel and work alongside troops from Kenya, Jamaica, and Belize in joint patrols with the PNH.

Gangs continue to exert terror Despite the deployment of the MSS in June and the establishment of a new transitional government led by Prime Minister Garry Conille, gangs continue to impose their reign of terror on the Haitian people. The situation has escalated in recent weeks, where vulnerable communities, particularly in most of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, its surrounding areas and the Artibonite department, have seen an exacerbated level of gang violence.

On Oct. 3, the Gran Grif gang led by notorious Luckson Elan in Savien, a communal section of Liancourt, Artibonite, attacked residents in Pont-Sondé near Saint-Marc, killing at least 70 people. In addition to the killings, the gangs left many critically injured and set fire to 45 homes and 34 vehicles. Fearing for their lives, at least 3,000 families fled the area, according to Thameen Al-Kheetan, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office in Haiti.

Apart from the Gran Grif gang, Kokorat San Ras is another criminal gang group sowing terror in the Artibonite department, instilling a permanent state of fear in families. Gangs from these two coalitions have launched several attacks against residents of various regional communes.

In August, Kokorat San Ras attacked Rivière Blanche and Canifice communities in Gros-Morne, about 19 miles north of Gonaïves, the department’s capital city. During these attacks, at least 10 people were killed, six were kidnapped, and several houses and farms were set ablaze.

In the end, the gang groups demanded $298 per household to allow residents to return or reclaim their homes.

On June 14-15, heavily armed men on 10 motorcycles burst through neighboring rural communities of Lagon and Grande Plaine—Savanne Carrée, in Terre-Neuve and Gros-Morne, killing as many as 10 people, including a pregnant woman on the verge of labor. During the attack, which was an attempted kidnapping that turned into a bloodbath, one individual was critically injured, and the bandits burned down 20 houses.

These criminal groups make normal life impossible for the inhabitants, disrupting their daily activities and means of livelihood. In response, residents felt compelled to take to the streets to protest and call on authorities to combat the gang-led insecurity.

Salvadoran soldiers to bolster the MSS The announcement of the Salvadoran contingent’s arrival comes after the UN Security Council extended the MSS mandate for another year last week amid ongoing challenges in securing sufficient funding and personnel. So far, only 407 of the planned 2,500 mission members have been deployed, and the mission has received approximately $67 million of the $84 million pledged by member states. However, this is significantly below the required $600 million annual budget.

Due to the MSS’ existing challenges, the U.S. had proposed transforming it into a UN mission to secure more stable funding and resources. Still, the plan was dropped after China and Russia threatened to veto a resolution drafted by the U.S. and Ecuador. Russia, in particular, argued that the MSS should be given more time to establish itself before any transformation into a UN operation is considered, according to Reuters.

El Salvador’s crime-fighting expertise comes after years of significant success in reducing gang violence at home under President Bukele’s administration. Once considered one of the most dangerous countries in the world, El Salvador has achieved a homicide rate of 2.4 per 100,000 inhabitants, making it the safest nation in Latin America, according to Radio France Internationale (RFI). Bukele’s approach has garnered widespread domestic support, positioning him for a second term in office.

Salvadoran Vice President Félix Ulloa has pointed to the country’s peacekeeping work in the Central African Republic and Mali as evidence of its ability to assist with Haiti’s crisis. Preparations for this cooperation began last year with the signing of an agreement—by Salvadoran Foreign Minister Alexandra Hill Tinoco and her Haitian counterpart Jean Victor Généus—to establish a Salvadoran cooperation office in Haiti.

While specific details on the size of the Salvadoran contingent remain undisclosed, their arrival is expected to bolster the under-resourced MSS as it continues to struggle against powerful gangs in Haiti.

Meanwhile, President Bukele has expressed confidence that his country can help. “We saw similar images in El Salvador a few years ago. Gangs bathed with the skulls of their victims,” his press secretary’s office posted on X.

“All the ‘experts’ said they could not be defeated because they were an ‘intrinsic part of our society.’ They were wrong. We annihilated them.”

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