Overview:
El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, has reportedly defended his military operations against gangs in Haiti amid a dispute with U.S. diplomats over coordination with the United Nations-backed Gang Suppression Force (GSF). The disagreement intensified after Washington raised concerns about gunfire striking the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince and possible risks to GSF personnel, civilians and Salvadoran soldiers. El Salvador rejected the allegations, saying it had coordinated air operations with Haiti’s security forces.
PORT-AU-PRINCE — El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, has defended his military operations against armed gangs in Haiti after United States diplomats raised concerns about a lack of coordination with the United Nations-authorized Gang Suppression Force (GSF) and gunfire that reportedly struck the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince.
The dispute has exposed tensions over the role of Salvadoran troops, who were deployed under a bilateral agreement with Haiti but are operating outside the GSF command structure. U.S. officials have warned that the lack of coordination could put GSF personnel, civilians and Salvadoran soldiers at risk. Bukele has rejected the allegations, saying his forces coordinated their air operations with the GSF and Haitian authorities.
The disagreement comes as Haiti faces continued gang violence and renewed efforts to restore security. It also raises questions about how the Salvadoran deployment is supervised, how its operations are coordinated with the international force and which authorities are responsible for investigating incidents involving troops on the ground.
According to an Axios report, U.S. Chargé d’Affaires in Haiti David Howell asked Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé on Nov. 4 to urge El Salvador’s Defense Ministry to temporarily halt its operations in Haiti “as soon as possible” until coordination with the GSF was established. Howell warned that the situation could result in the deaths of GSF troops, civilians or Salvadoran soldiers.
The following day, Axios reported, the U.S. Embassy in San Salvador sent a formal protest to President Nayib Bukele’s government, objecting to the lack of coordination. The diplomatic note also reported that gunfire from Salvadoran small arms had struck the U.S. Embassy in Haiti.
“I checked with Trump. He told me to do what we have to do, and now a bureaucrat is opposing it?”
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele
Angered, Bukele, who has received backing from U.S. President Donald Trump for his intervention in Haiti, rebuked Howell and questioned his credibility. The Salvadoran president accused the U.S. Chargé d’Affaires of spreading false information.
“His attitude was: ‘F***, I checked with Trump,’” a source who spoke with Bukele told Axios. “‘He told me to do what we have to do, and now a bureaucrat is opposing it?’”
Bukele’s military operations against gangs continue
Despite the diplomatic dispute, Bukele’s troops have continued their operations against gangs, particularly 400 Mawozo and Chen Mechan in the Cul-de-Sac-Plain.
On Nov. 8, Salvadoran and Haitian forces targeted a mansion belonging to Wilson “Lanmò San Jou” Joseph, leader of the 400 Mawozo gang, in the Croix-des-Bouquets area. The operation followed Bukele’s public promise to destroy the property.
In a statement on X on Tuesday, Bukele shared a video he said showed the operation and declared that his government had fulfilled its promise.
Nou kenbe pwomès nou…
Nou detwi kay Lanmò San Jou ak katye jeneral gang 400 Mawozo a.
Pifò ladan yo kouri ale san yo pa menm eseye goumen.
Ala lach yo lach! 🥲 pic.twitter.com/0AVIOJRKhn
— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) November 10, 2026
“We kept our promise … We destroyed Lanmò San Jou’s house and the headquarters of the 400 Mawozo gang,” Bukele said. “Most of them fled without even trying to fight. What cowards!”
Following Bukele’s post, Fils-Aimé expressed support for the Salvadoran president on X. He praised Salvadoran forces’ commitment to fighting gangs and said the GSF, Haitian security forces and international partners were strengthening operations, regaining territorial control and restoring state authority.
“Hats off to President Nayib Bukele for your support and commitment to the national fight against gangs,” Fils-Aimé said. “Haiti, El Salvador, GSF: same fight, same determination! The collaboration will continue. Gangs will not sleep!”
Calls grow for Haiti-El Salvador agreement to be made public
About 2,000 Salvadoran troops have been deployed in Haiti since last month to search for four Salvadoran aviation technicians who went missing after a gang ambush in Santo, an area east of downtown Port-au-Prince.
The Haitian government said the deployment is based on a bilateral cooperation agreement between the two countries, outside the GSF.
But some Salvadoran troops are stationed at a GSF base, while others are housed at a separate site managed by the Haitian Armed Forces (FAd’H).
Amid questions about the deployment, Amnesty International called on the governments of Haiti and El Salvador to make their bilateral agreement public. In a statement issued Nov. 9, the organization also urged the governments to clarify how Salvadoran forces are supervised, what rules govern their use of force, which authorities they are accountable to and how people can report alleged abuses without fear of reprisals.
“Hats off to President Nayib Bukele for your support and commitment to the national fight against gangs.”
Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé
“The Prime Minister of Haiti, Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, and the President of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, must ensure that all operations conducted by Salvadoran forces in Haiti comply with international human rights law,” said Ana Piquer, the organization’s Americas director. “The Haitian Prime Minister’s commitment not to tolerate violations must translate into effective safeguards.”
Dispute over El Salvador’s operations draws mixed reactions online
Bukele’s defense of the operations and the U.S. diplomatic concerns prompted sharply divided reactions on social media.
Some users praised the Salvadoran president for following through on his promise to Haitians. Others criticized the U.S. Embassy and Amnesty International, arguing that their concerns could undermine efforts to fight armed groups.
An X user, commenting as Haiti Mania/ Free Haiti, addressed the U.S. Embassy directly, writing: “If you are not comfortable with the Salvadoran operation in Haiti, close your doors and leave our country.”
“The operations against the terrorists must not stop,” the user added.
Mathias Pierre, a former elections official under the late President Jovenel Moïse, questioned on X what he described as the international “deep state,” which he accused of opposing Bukele’s campaign in Haiti.
“Amid operations raising suspicions of sabotage, allegations by NGOs whose grounds remain to be demonstrated, and possible pressure to use the Haitian government to slow Bukele’s initiatives, one question arises,” Pierre wrote. “Who really wants to end the dominance of armed gangs in Haiti, and who would benefit from its continuation?”
Other users criticized Amnesty International’s call for greater transparency and safeguards.
“Hey Amnesty, where were you when gangs were killing, burning homes, raping and kidnapping Haitians?” Winchel Walabre wrote. “ Victims deserve protection and justice too.”
Another user, Nadal-Nau Cazir, said in a post that the priority should be freeing Haiti from armed groups.
“Human rights cannot be a rhetorical shield that makes people forget the victims of terrorism,” Cazir wrote. “Haiti must first regain peace, order and sovereignty. To those who do not understand this urgency, find another fight!”
Meanwhile, Haitian media reported that security operations against gangs continued Tuesday, particularly in Martissant. Reports that gang members were fleeing their bases circulated as Haitians across the country and on social media continued to express support for Bukele and the Salvadoran deployment.
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