Overview:
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele warned Haitian gangs Wednesday that a stronger military response could follow if four Salvadoran soldiers missing since an Oct. 18 ambush in La Plaine-du-Cul-de-Sac are not returned alive and unharmed. The soldiers, aviation technicians assigned to the United Nations-backed Gang Suppression Force, remain unaccounted for as Haitian and international security forces continue search and rescue operations.
PORT-AU-PRINCE — Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele warned Haitian gangs Wednesday that they could face a stronger military response if they do not return four Salvadoran soldiers who went missing after an ambush in the Santo area of Croix-des-Bouquets — a few miles northeast of Port-au-Prince’s downtown.
In his first public reaction to the incident, Bukele said the search and rescue operation that began in the aftermath of the incident was only a fraction of what could follow if the soldiers were not returned alive and unharmed. He warned the gangs that they could face the same fate as criminal groups in El Salvador.
“Do not take our words as an empty threat,” Bukele said in a post on X on Oct. 21. “We have already dealt with the gangs in El Salvador, and we can deal with you too. Return our four compatriots alive and unharmed, and everything will return to how it was before the kidnapping.”
The warning marks an escalation in the public response to the disappearance of the four soldiers, whose vehicle was set on fire during an Oct. 18 ambush in Santo. The soldiers remain missing as the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) and other security personnel conduct search operations. Their whereabouts and condition remained unknown as of Wednesday.
The incident also highlights the risks facing international personnel deployed to help Haiti combat gangs, as armed groups continue to operate in residential communities and challenge security forces.
Bukele said the four Salvadorans are aviation technicians assigned to his country’s mission in Haiti and are not combat personnel. He added that their primary responsibilities are medical evacuations and saving lives, not participating in combat operations.
According to Bukele, the men were abducted while returning from a supermarket in the area. He said the immediate priority was to bring them home alive and unharmed, warning that security operations could intensify if they were not released.
“You [the gangs] still have time to prevent this. The decision is in your hands,” Bukele said.
Haitian government coordinates response
Bukele’s warning came as the Haitian government announced it was coordinating the state response to the abduction.
In a statement Wednesday, the government said releasing the soldiers was a top priority. Senior officials had met to assess ongoing efforts and determine measures to strengthen operations in coordination with the GSF.
The government said security operations would continue and that it would mobilize all necessary resources to secure the soldiers’ release.
“Do not take our words as an empty threat. We have already dealt with the gangs in El Salvador, and we can deal with you too.”
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele
“The release of the abducted soldiers is an absolute priority, and all necessary resources are being mobilized to achieve this goal,” the government’s statement read. “Security forces are continuing their operations to secure the soldiers’ release and protect human lives.”
The response follows helicopter-supported search operations. On Tuesday, four GSF personnel were wounded during operations, according to the force.
In a statement, the GSF said preliminary reports indicated that several gang members had also been killed and others wounded in the fighting. The force urged residents of Santo and surrounding communities to remain indoors and avoid areas where operations were underway.
Images circulating on social media showed bullet holes in the walls of residents’ homes, as well as damage to personal belongings and beds, underscoring the risks to civilians caught in clashes between armed groups and security forces.
Gangs maintain control in Santo
The Santo area includes residential communities where the criminal groups Chen Mechan and 400 Mawozo exert control, complicating security operations and exposing residents to ongoing violence.
The security crisis also extends beyond the Haitian capital and its metropolitan region. On Wednesday, gangs from the Savien area in the Artibonite department invaded the Rue Capps area of Petite Rivière de l’Artibonite— a Gran Grif gang stronghold— and burned homes, according to local media reports.
The incidents underscore the wider challenge facing Haitian authorities and international security personnel as they seek to contain armed groups operating across multiple regions.
For now, the fate of the four Salvadoran soldiers remains unknown. Bukele has warned that the response could intensify as he prepares to deploy more troops to the Haitian capital. A contingent of about 300 officers is reportedly expected to arrive in Haiti by Thursday.
