Overview:
Hundreds of residents in Port-au-Prince, Belladère and Jérémie have taken to the streets to praise El Salvador’s strongman Nayib Bukele and call for forceful action against gangs that have seized communities and forced families from their homes. The demonstrations reflect growing frustration with Haiti’s security crisis and a public appeal for foreign forces to help restore access to gang-controlled areas.
PORT-AU-PRINCE — From Haiti’s capital to Belladère and Jérémie, hundreds of residents have taken to the streets to call on El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, to help free their communities from armed gangs. Chanting “Debloke peyi a” — “Unlock the country” — demonstrators have praised Bukele and urged Salvadoran forces to confront armed groups that have driven families from their homes.
In Canapé-Vert, a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, demonstrators marched Friday to criticize the Haitian government for failing to adequately equip and support the Haitian National Police (PNH) and the Armed Forces of Haiti (FAd’H). Some said they had lost confidence in Haitian authorities and were placing their hopes in Bukele and the Salvadoran troops recently deployed to the country.
“We have reached our breaking point with these gangs. Long live Nayib Bukele,” said a woman holding tree branches.
“Children can no longer eat; we can no longer afford to pay their school tuition,” she added.
Another protester called on Bukele to intervene in communities seized by armed groups.
“Bukele, go to Furcy, go to Kenscoff, go to Ti Miska, Kay Jak. Give us back our country so we can return home,” the protester said.
Some demonstrators carried signs reading “We are Bukele,” waved tree branches, clapped and danced as they marched through Canapé-Vert. They also chanted, “When they see Bukele, their hearts tremble,” and “Long live Bukele.”
Samuel Joasil, a police officer who heads the Canapé-Vert self-defense group, said residents’ willingness to welcome foreign forces reflected their lack of confidence in Haiti’s security institutions.
“The administration has weakened all the institutions that have power, such as the police and the army,” Joasil said. “Now we feel vulnerable. So if a foreign force comes to support us, I am ready to stand with it and support it in any way I can.”
Salvadoran deployment fuels public hopes
Bukele has drawn increased attention in Haiti since deploying about over 2,000 Salvadoran soldiers following the disappearance of four Salvadoran aviation technicians—members of the United Nations-backed gang Suppression Force (GSF)—who were ambushed in Haiti. He has threatened gangs with major operations if they do not release the technicians alive.
The deployment has fueled public hopes that Salvadoran forces could help Haitian security institutions regain control of communities held by armed groups. Residents have increasingly taken to the streets to thank Bukele and call for stronger action against gangs.
In Belladère, an eastern border town of about 100,000 people in Haiti’s Centre Department, hundreds of residents and students also marched to thank Bukele for sending Salvadoran soldiers and urge action against armed groups.
In Jérémie, the capital city of the Grand’Anse Department in Haiti’s Southwest, demonstrators also voiced support for Bukele and the Salvadoran forces. They called for continued operations to dislodge gangs so residents could move freely around the country.
The demonstrations reflect the desperation of residents who say gang violence has taken away their homes, livelihoods and freedom of movement. Some protesters said they had more confidence in Bukele’s willingness to confront armed groups than in the Haitian government’s ability to protect them.
Bukele’s growing profile among some Haitians has been amplified by social media posts and widely shared videos about the Salvadoran deployment. His name has become a rallying point for residents hoping the foreign troops can help dislodge gangs, particularly those controlling parts of Croix-des-Bouquets, a town east of Port-au-Prince.
