El Salvador deploys 1,300 troops to Haiti amid search for missing soldiers

El Salvador’s military deployment in Haiti has grown to approximately 1,300 troops following the arrival of another 690 soldiers on Tuesday, according to official sources cited by local media on Wednesday.

The Central American country, which was already participating in the Gang Suppression Force (GSF), became more directly involved in Haiti’s crisis after an October 18 ambush on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince targeting a vehicle carrying four Salvadoran soldiers whose whereabouts remain unknown.

“This deployment is being carried out in communication with the Haitian government. It is a friendly country providing assistance. It is not an invasion of the country,” a government source told Le Nouvelliste, Haiti’s oldest newspaper.

According to several Haitian media outlets, equipment for the troops was transported on three aircraft in recent days, with additional resources expected to strengthen the capabilities of forces fighting armed gangs that control much of Port-au-Prince.

Addressing the secrecy surrounding the Salvadoran military operation, the source said: “The government prefers to remain silent and act.”

In Port-au-Prince, reports have also circulated about the possible arrival of additional charter flights from El Salvador. The deployment is reportedly taking place outside the mandate established by the United Nations Security Council in September for the GSF operation.

Official response

The multinational force currently comprises more than 1,000 troops from El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mongolia, Sri Lanka and Chad. It is commanded by Mongolian Major General Edernebat Batsuuri.

The government of Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé has remained silent on El Salvador’s operation to rescue the four missing soldiers. The scale of the deployment has raised questions about whether the mission could extend beyond the immediate search and rescue effort into a broader campaign against armed gangs.