PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti, Oct 30, CMC- El Salvador has sent more than 2,000 soldiers to Haiti as the search continues for four Salvadoran military technicians, members of the United Nations Security Council sanctioned Gang Suppression Force (GSF), missing following an ambush earlier this month.
A statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in El Salvador said that President Nayib Bukele had spoken by phone with Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé and that their discussion focused on the rescue operation being conducted by El Salvador on Haitian soil, as well as the continuation of the mission that the Salvadoran government has deployed in the country.
“El Salvador will proceed with the operational deployment of more than two thousand soldiers to rescue the four Salvadoran technicians, as part of a large-scale operation supported by various countries and international organizations,” the Ministry said in its statement.
Earlier this week, Bukele in a statement posted on his X account said that the remains found were not those of the Salvadoran soldierafter an NGO handed over human remains, claiming that they belonged to the four Salvadoran technicians.
“They are not our men. These remains correspond to a child, a man of a size significantly larger than that of our air technicians, as well as a person who wore part of the uniform of an army that is not ours. Among the remains, identification documents and military uniforms from other countries were also found,” he wrote.
The four Salvadorans went missing on October 18, after their armored vehicle was ambushed by armed groups in Croix-des-Bouquets, an area controlled by gangs northeast of Port-au-Prince.
Bukele said that El Salvador is covering 90 per cent of the operational expenses and emphasized that the mission is not an invasion, though he has warned Haitian gangs of severe retaliation if the men are not returned
In a statement, Prime Minister Fils-Aimé, said that both countries have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral coordination and operational cooperation. This includes efforts within the framework of the mission to support search operations and address security challenges.
The Haitian government expressed its solidarity with the abducted Salvadoran service members and their families, reiterating its determination to work alongside its partners to restore security and stability in the country.
The statement said that the government remains fully engaged, in coordination with its partners, and reaffirmed its commitment to cooperation that respects the authority of the Haitian state, with the ultimate goal of achieving a lasting restoration of national security.
Meanwhile, President Luis Abinader, speaking on a radio programme in the Dominican Republic, said that his country, which shares a border with Haiti, is taking all steps to deal with its security.
“For us, security does not begin at our border. It begins approximately 20 kilometers from the border, on the Haitian side. Out of a sense of responsibility, we will not permit the presence of gangs within this distance, as it falls under our security threshold. ” he said on the programme.
“We will act in coordination with the Haitian government; we will not tolerate these gangs within 20 kilometers of the border . Should such a situation arise, the country would act in coordination with the Haitian authorities,’” he said on the programme with the Minister of Defense Lieutenant General Carlos Antonio Fernández Onofre.
CMC/kj/ir/2026