A post by a Haitian woman, identified on X as Sofía, led Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele to promise that his forces will demolish a building attributed to a criminal gang in Haiti, after the user reported that the group rebuilt the structure with resources obtained from kidnappings, murders, and extortions.
The woman shared an image of a residence that she identified as the National Palace of Haiti. The building was destroyed after the 2010 earthquake and, years later, was occupied by armed groups.
The message ended with a request addressed to the Salvadoran leader, alluding to an expectation that he intervene against the criminal structures that dominate large areas of Port-au-Prince.
Bukele responded on this November 6 and asked for precise information to locate the building. "Where is that house? Give us the exact address; we will destroy it," the Salvadoran president wrote.
This comes as El Salvador maintains a deployment of more than 2,000 personnel in Haiti, an operation that began after the disappearance of four aeronautical technicians in an ambush that occurred on October 18 in Santo, within the commune of Croix-des-Bouquets, on the outskirts of the Haitian capital.
The search for four missing aeronautical technicians motivated the Salvadoran deployment
The missing Salvadorans were traveling in an armored vehicle when armed men attacked the unit with gunfire and explosives.
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President Nayib Bukele promised to demolish a building linked to gangs in Haiti following a request on social media. (Courtesy: Reuters/Social media)A post by a Haitian woman, identified on X as Sofía, led the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, to promise that his forces will demolish the building attributed to a criminal gang in Haiti, after the user reported that the group had rebuilt the structure with resources obtained from kidnappings, murders, and extortion. The woman shared an image of a residence that she identified as the National Palace of Haiti. The building was destroyed after the 2010 earthquake and, years later, was occupied by armed groups. The message ended with a request directed to the Salvadoran leader, alluding to an expectation that he intervene against the criminal structures that dominate large areas of Port-au-Prince. Bukele responded on this November 6 and asked for precise information to locate the building. "Where is that house? Give us the exact address; we will destroy it," wrote the Salvadoran president. A Haitian user reported that an armed gang built a residence with money obtained from kidnappings, extortion, and homicides. (Courtesy: Social media)This comes as El Salvador maintains a deployment of more than 2,000 personnel in Haiti, an operation that began after the disappearance of four aeronautical technicians in an ambush that occurred on October 18 in Santo, within the commune of Croix-des-Bouquets, on the outskirts of the Haitian capital. The missing Salvadorans were traveling in an armored vehicle when armed men attacked the unit with gunfire and explosives. The compatriots were part of the contingent supporting the Gang Suppression Force (GSF), backed by the United Nations (UN). The Salvadoran government presented the troop deployment as a search and rescue mission. Bukele also issued public messages to the Haitian armed groups and asserted that his country could fight them as it did with the Salvadoran gangs. The search operation is concentrated in the Cul-de-Sac plain, northeast of Port-au-Prince, where the Chen Mechan and 400 Mawozo gangs operate. Both organizations have been pointed to for their alleged connection to the ambush, although neither has claimed responsibility. The National Police of Haiti reported on November 3 that it located the burned vehicle in which the technicians were traveling. The discovery occurred in Santo during a joint operation with Haitian forces, members of the international mission, and Salvadoran military personnel. The authorities found no traces of the missing military members. El Salvador maintains more than two thousand personnel deployed in Haiti as part of a search and rescue mission. (REUTERS/Patrice Noel)The future of the Salvadoran contingent will be part of a meeting scheduled for November 16 and 17 in El Salvador. Vice President Félix Ulloa told the EFE agency that the prime minister of Haiti, Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, will travel to San Salvador to participate in an international conference on the state of democracy. According to his explanation, the visit will allow for discussion of the continuity and the eventual return of the more than 2,000 military personnel deployed in Haitian territory, for whom there is still no defined departure date. "The prime minister has already confirmed his attendance, and there we will have the opportunity to discuss what the future of this force is," Ulloa stated.