The Gang Suppression Force (GSF) stated this Saturday that it does not use explosive devices or carry out aerial bombings in the operations it conducts in Haiti, including the actions of the Salvadoran military. The statement responded to allegations of supposed attacks against civilians near Port-au-Prince.
Through the social network X, the international force indicated that it is aware of recent reports attributing to security forces the use of explosives and bombings from the air, including by helicopter. The GSF rejected those accusations and maintained that they lack foundation.
"The GSF does not use explosive devices in its operations," it stated. The clarification covered the Salvadoran contingent and the aircraft operating under its structure. According to the statement, the mission's helicopters also do not transport explosives.
The organization emphasized that its procedures comply with its Rules of Engagement, international human rights law, and the applicable standards for security tasks. Under those provisions, it indicated, the use of explosive devices is prohibited.
The GSF also maintained that reducing harm to the civilian population is part of the core criteria of its operations. The statement came after a Haitian organization denounced alleged attacks on civilian areas of the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area…
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The Gang Suppression Force denied the use of explosive devices and aerial bombings in its operations in Haiti. (REUTERS/Patrice Noel)The Gang Suppression Force (GSF) stated this Saturday that it does not use explosive devices or carry out aerial bombings in the operations it conducts in Haiti, including the actions of El Salvador's military. The statement responded to allegations of supposed attacks against civilians near Port-au-Prince. Through the social network X, the international force indicated that it is aware of recent reports attributing to security forces the use of explosives and bombings from the air, including by helicopter. The GSF rejected those accusations and maintained that they lack foundation. "The GSF does not use explosive devices in its operations," it stated. The clarification covered the Salvadoran contingent and the aircraft operating under its structure. According to the statement, the mission's helicopters also do not transport explosives. The multinational mission affirmed that its procedures comply with the norms of international human rights law. (Courtesy: Gang Suppression Force)The organization emphasized that its procedures comply with its Rules of Engagement, international human rights law, and the applicable standards for security tasks. Under those provisions, it indicated, the use of explosive devices is prohibited. The GSF also maintained that reducing harm to the civilian population is part of the core criteria of its operations. The declaration came after a Haitian organization denounced alleged attacks on civilian areas of the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. A complaint addressed to the UN secretary-general pointed to alleged helicopter attacks in Croix-des-Bouquets and Canaán. (REUTERS/Patrice Noel)The GSF's message was released shortly after a post by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who denied that military personnel from his country had bombed civilians during the mission in Haiti. "Bombs? Our mission doesn't even have bombs at its disposal. Aerial bombings? Armed helicopter attacks?" Bukele wrote on X. The president stated that the Salvadoran attack helicopters arrived in the Caribbean country on October 29, one day after the publication of the questioned report. Bukele asserted that the complaint was released on October 28, before those aircraft arrived in the Caribbean country. He also assured that the helicopters had not carried out "a single mission" up to that point. Nayib Bukele maintained that the Salvadoran helicopters arrived in the Caribbean country one day after the complaints were published. (Courtesy: Nayib Bukele)The head of state accompanied his post with an image of the letter that the United Nations Association-Haiti sent to UN Secretary-General António Guterres. The entity allegedly denounced attacks with heavy weaponry, helicopters, and aerial operations in neighborhoods of Croix-des-Bouquets and Canaán. Bukele questioned the organization and asserted that it is not part of the UN. He also shared a post from the outlet Drop Site News, which identified the United Nations Association-Haiti as an advocacy group for members of the Haitian diaspora. The Salvadoran presence in Haiti increased after the disappearance of four aviation technicians on October 18, following an ambush in the Santo area, in the district of Croix-des-Bouquets. The men were part of the GSF, the UN-backed international mission to confront the Haitian armed gangs. Bukele confirmed this week the deployment of more than 2,000 Salvadoran personnel in Port-au-Prince. His government maintains that the priority of the operation is to locate and recover the four members of its contingent, whose whereabouts remain without official confirmation. The government of El Salvador deployed more than 2,000 military personnel in Port-au-Prince to locate the 4 members of its contingent. (EFE/Jonet St. Élois)According to EFE, this Friday, Salvadoran soldiers carried out patrols in Tabarre, northeast of Port-au-Prince, near the area where the ambush occurred. They were also seen near the Toussaint Louverture International Airport, in Clercine, aboard trucks and armored vehicles with air support.