Haitian gang leader challenges Bukele as search for missing Salvadorans continues

Wilson Joseph, known as “Lanmò San Jou” and identified as the alleged leader of the Haitian gang 400 Mawozo, appears in a video circulating on social media displaying large quantities of ammunition and issuing a defiant message to El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele.

In the approximately 90-second recording, the alleged gang leader displays ammunition of different sizes and says he has no intention of fleeing. Instead, he claims he will wait for the Salvadoran president and is prepared to fight, according to the publication that shared the footage.

The video emerged after Bukele announced a military operation to rescue four Salvadoran aviation technicians who have been missing since October 18, following an ambush allegedly carried out by gang members in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti.

Bukele demanded that the four men be returned alive and unharmed, warning that a more forceful military response could follow if his demand was not met.

The footage circulated as the Haitian National Police and international forces conducted operations against 400 Mawozo positions in the Butte Boyer and Cité Doudoune areas.

Tensions remain high as authorities continue efforts to locate the four Salvadoran nationals.