Bukele Threatens Haitian Gangs After Abduction of Salvadoran Soldiers
President Nayib Bukele said on Wednesday, October 21, that El Salvador had begun a military operation to free four of its soldiers held by gangs in Haiti. He warned of a more forceful response if they were not released alive and unharmed.
The four, aviation technicians serving with the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force (GSF), have been missing since Sunday, when gangs attacked their armoured vehicle in the Santo area of Croix-des-Bouquets, Port-au-Prince, and they fled as it burned. It was the first major attack since the international force began operating in Haiti, The Associated Press reported.
Security officials said the vehicle was ambushed as the men were returning to their base from a market, Reuters reported. Bukele said they were kidnapped while returning from buying food at a supermarket, according to Anadolu Agency.
Bukele's Warning
Bukele wrote on X that "today's attack is nothing compared to what is coming if they do not release the four hostages alive", according to AP, and told the gangs not to treat his words as empty threats. He told the gang leaders that if the men were returned "alive, unharmed", then "everything will go back to the way it was before the kidnapping".
Bukele, known for his crackdown on gangs at home, also warned: "We have already finished with the gangs in El Salvador, and we can finish with you too." He gave no details of the operation and did not name the group holding the men.
He said the four were technicians, not combatants. "Our mission consists only of pilots and technical personnel, whose primary job is to carry out medical evacuations and save lives, not to wage war," he said.
Haiti Calls Release a Priority
Haiti's government said on Wednesday evening that the release of the abducted soldiers was an "absolute priority" and that all necessary resources were being mobilised. It said a meeting at the prime minister's office had reviewed the operations under way and the steps needed to strengthen them, together with the gang suppression force. It was not immediately clear whether Haitian authorities had confirmation that the four men were alive, and the GSF did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The force is still fighting gangs in the community where Sunday's attack took place and has told residents to stay indoors.
A Force Below Its Planned Size
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Gangs including Chèn Méchan, Kraze Barye and 400 Mawozo hold the area; Kraze Barye is led by Vitel'Homme Innocent and 400 Mawozo by Lanmo Sanjou, both of whom face UN and US sanctions. Gangs are estimated to control 70 percent of the capital. The attack came as Haiti readies for its first general election in over a decade.
El Salvador is one of several countries, including Chad, Jamaica and Guatemala, contributing to the force, which has more than 2,000 troops in Haiti. The UN approved up to 5,550 security personnel for the mission in 2025; a year into its mandate it had reached just over a third of its planned size, Reuters reported. In early October, El Salvador passed a law extending its forces' role for a year and allowing the mission to deploy personnel "according to the mission's needs", beyond medical evacuations. The UN Security Council has extended the force's mandate through March 2027.
In recent years, gang violence has forced nearly 1.5 million Haitians from their homes. More than 5,700 people were killed or injured between January and mid-September, and more than 230 were kidnapped, according to the UN.