El Salvador sends 2,000 troops to Haiti to find missing soldiers and combat gangs

El Salvador has announced the deployment of more than 2,000 soldiers to Haiti to assist in the search for four Salvadoran aviation technicians who disappeared after an ambush on October 18 near Port-au-Prince, according to Al Jazeera and BBC World.

The missing personnel were part of a UN-backed Gang Suppression Force assisting Haitian police against armed gangs. The Salvadoran troops will also support ongoing security operations targeting gangs in Haiti, the BBC reported.

The deployment was confirmed by El Salvador's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and communicated by President Nayib Bukele in talks with Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime. Both leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation on rescue and security efforts, Al Jazeera noted.

Haiti's electoral authorities have postponed the first round of presidential and parliamentary elections from December 13, 2026, to July 18, 2027, amid security concerns caused by gang violence, as reported by Al Jazeera.

The situation remains tense following Haiti's handover of four bodies claimed to be those of the missing soldiers, which President Bukele disputed, stating the bodies did not match and included a child and a person in a different country's military uniform, according to BBC World.

It is not yet clear whether the additional Salvadoran troops will join the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force or operate separately, Al Jazeera reported. Foreign troops have been in Haiti since 2024 to help create safer conditions for elections.