Why did El Salvador send more than 2,500 military personnel to combat the gangs in Haiti?

Four Salvadoran aeronautical technicians disappeared on October 18 after an ambush against their armored vehicle in Croix-des-Bouquets. EFE/ Jonet St. Élois Just before one month had passed since the disappearance of four Salvadoran aeronautical technicians who were part of the Task Force Libertad II of the Gang Suppression Force (GSF), El Salvador maintains a broad military operation in Haiti to locate them. The search is focused on areas near Port-au-Prince under the influence of armed groups, where Salvadoran forces participated in the destruction of a barracks attributed to the 400 Mawozo gang. Meanwhile, the question resonates internationally: Why is El Salvador fighting gangs in Haiti? The four technicians disappeared on October 18 after an ambush against the armored vehicle they were traveling in through Croix-des-Bouquets, in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince. The attack, attributed to gangs, triggered an additional military deployment by El Salvador, which operates under a bilateral agreement with Haitian authorities. The official Salvadoran version maintains that the technicians are alive. The Haitian government considers them missing, and authorities have not reported any contact with them. The mission's declared objective is to locate them and recover their freedom. Salvadoran military forces and the Haitian police destroyed a barracks attributed to the 400 Mawozo gang. (Archive photo, courtesy of FAES) The Salvadoran contingent in Haiti is divided into two components. About 200 personnel are within the Gang Suppression Force, the multinational structure authorized by the United Nations Security Council to support the Haitian National Police and the Haitian Armed Forces. That group included the four missing technicians, who were performing aviation and medical evacuation tasks. Their main function was to transport the wounded and provide technical support to the international force's operations. The GSF was created in 2025, following the end of the Multinational Security Support Mission, led by Kenya. Its mandate allows for up to 5,500 members, although the organization currently operates with a lower figure. In addition to El Salvador, contingents from Chad, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mongolia, and Sri Lanka participate. The rest of the Salvadorans sent after the ambush do not belong to that structure. The United Nations indicated that the vast majority of the new Salvadoran deployment falls outside the mandate of the organization's support office in Haiti. Therefore, UN authorities requested: "All security operations carried out in Haiti, whether within the framework of the GSF or by national authorities and their partners, must be carried out in full compliance with applicable international law." The United Nations noted that the new Salvadoran military deployment was outside the mandate of its support office in Haiti. The additional operation raised the presence of Salvadoran military personnel to more than 2,500 troops, according to information disseminated by the authorities of both countries. The contingent includes special forces personnel, infantry, support units, and equipment destined for ground operations. El Salvador transported weaponry, armored vehicles, helicopters, and other military resources. Legislation approved by the Legislative Assembly enables the participation of civilian and military personnel, as well as the use of rotary-wing aircraft, within the tasks of supporting the GSF. Helicopters fulfill roles in transport, surveillance, and assistance to the deployed units. President Nayib Bukele stated that the military teams sent are part of a mission limited to the search for the Salvadorans. He also maintained that the troops will withdraw once the four technicians are handed over. Salvadoran forces established a base in Tabarre, near Port-au-Prince, from where they coordinate patrols and operations with the Haitian National Police. Actions are focused on Croix-des-Bouquets and the Cul-de-Sac plain, areas where groups such as Chen Mechan and 400 Mawozo operate. The first task consists of locating the four aeronautical technicians and obtaining information about the ambush. In parallel, the contingent provides support to joint actions with the Haitian National Police. On Sunday, Haitian units backed by Salvadoran military personnel attacked a property linked to Wilson Joseph, alias Lanmò San Jou, identified as the leader of 400 Mawozo. Bukele stated that the operation destroyed the so-called "House of Death," identified by his government as the barracks of that gang. There is no official report that allows for establishing the number of dead, injured, or detained following the incursion, nor was Joseph's presence at the scene confirmed. Vice President Félix Ulloa and the Prime Minister of Haiti are dialoguing in San Salvador about the participation of Salvadoran troops in Haitian territory. (Illustrative Image Infobae) How is this military operation being paid for? Vice President Félix Ulloa assured that the mission is financed with resources from the Salvadoran national budget. The official stated that the country did not receive external money to mobilize the troops and that it is using "the money of the Salvadoran people" to rescue the four technicians. Bukele had indicated on October 29 that El Salvador covers 90% of the operation's cost, although it receives logistical support from other countries. The government did not disclose the total amount allocated to the mission or the detail of the budgetary items used. Ulloa also maintained that the deployment does not constitute an occupying force, but rather a mission authorized through an agreement with Haitian authorities and coordinated with the Haitian National Police. The Haitian Prime Minister, Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, supported the operations against gangs and plans to address the future of the Salvadoran troops during a visit to San Salvador scheduled for November 16 and 17.