Overview:
Four Salvadoran soldiers serving with Haiti’s Gang Suppression Force (GSF) remain missing after armed groups ambushed their armored vehicle in the Port-au-Prince Cul-de-Sac Plain area Sunday. El Salvador’s military said in a statement that the soldiers escaped the vehicle after it was struck by explosives and caught fire. Clashes and security conditions have hampered search efforts, while reports that the soldiers were captured or killed remain unconfirmed.
PORT-AU-PRINCE — Four Salvadoran soldiers serving with Haiti’s U.N.-backed Gang Suppression Force (GSF) remain missing after armed groups ambushed their armored vehicle in the Santo, Croix-des-Bouquets area, Sunday, according to El Salvador’s military.
The Salvadoran Armed Forces said in a statement that the soldiers were returning to their camp when attackers used firearms and explosives against their vehicle, triggering an exchange of gunfire.
“Four soldiers managed to get out of the vehicle,” the Salvadoran Armed Forces said. “Our Libertad II Task Force continues to work jointly with the command of the Gang Suppression Force and international forces to establish contact and determine the location of our soldiers.”
The military said it deployed helicopters to support the operation, prompting armed groups to retreat. The statement said these helicopters also came under gunfire.
“Attempts to reach the missing soldiers by land and air were hindered by intense clashes and security conditions,” the statement read.
As of Monday, neither the Salvadoran Armed Forces, the GSF nor the Haitian National Police (PNH) had publicly confirmed the soldiers’ whereabouts or condition. Local media reports offered conflicting accounts, with some claiming the soldiers had been captured, killed or wounded. Those reports remained unverified.
The Haitian Times emailed the GSF’s communications staff seeking confirmation of these reports but had not received a response by publication time.
GSF urges Santo residents to stay home
In a late-night statement Sunday, the GSF urged Santo residents to remain indoors until further notice and avoid the area while security operations continued.
The force said preliminary reports indicated that armed individuals opened fire on a vehicle carrying GSF personnel, prompting an exchange of gunfire. GSF personnel responded under established rules of engagement, with helicopter support, the statement said.
The announcement did not clarify the missing soldiers’ status, prompting criticism on social media.
“Our Libertad II Task Force continues to work jointly with the command of the Gang Suppression Force and international forces to establish contact and determine the location of our soldiers.”
Salvadoran Armed Forces
Ricardo Fleuridor, executive director of the National Observatory for the Fight Against Corruption, said in a comment on the GSF’s X post that the statement did not address the central question of what happened to the soldiers.
“What everyone is waiting for now is to know what happened to the soldiers,” Fleuridor said, referring to rumors circulating online that they had died in the burning vehicle. He called on authorities to confirm or deny the reports.
“We haven’t even said whether they found the men or what we’re going to do,” Facebook user Vincent Moise wrote in response to the GSF statement.
The force said operations were continuing to disrupt armed groups and maintain security in the area. A resident of Marin, a neighborhood near Santo, told The Haitian Times that helicopters and gunfire could be heard after the incident.
Attack comes amid wider security operations
The ambush occurred a day before a scheduled U.N. Security Council briefing on the GSF deployment. Special Representative Jack Christofides was expected to discuss operational developments and priorities for the coming period.
The force was also preparing to receive contingents from Sri Lanka and Guatemala, which had begun traveling to Haiti after completing preparatory training, according to a statement from Guatemala’s army.
GSF personnel have previously faced armed attacks in the metropolitan area. In July, a patrol in Tabarre came under fire near an illegal checkpoint in territory controlled by the Kraze Baryè gang. The GSF said the exchange killed three armed men.
In September, the U.N. Security Council renewed the force’s mandate for six months, through March 2027, as gang violence continued to displace residents and kill civilians. The U.N. reported that since the escalation of the gang-fueled insecurity crisis, more than 1.5 million people have been displaced and thousands killed across Haiti. At least 5,700 people have been killed this year alone.
Meanwhile, the PNH has continued operations against armed groups. In Kenscoff, the institution said in a statement that officers worked with an engineering unit and local residents to fill holes gangs had dug in roads to obstruct security forces.
The PNH urged residents to continue cooperating with police as authorities seek to restore security in the commune.
