El Salvador deploys 2,000 to Haiti; Four soldiers missing

Over 2,000 Salvadoran troops were deploying to Haiti to rescue four missing soldiers and support Haiti’s fight against gang control, the Salvadoran government said Wednesday. The four Salvadoran soldiers disappeared Oct. 18 after a gang attacked their armored vehicle in Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince. The missing soldiers were air technicians, according to the new statement.

El Salvador said the deployment was already underway. The Haitian government approved the effort, as did several countries and international organizations, according to the statement.

Is the new deployment related to the existing security forces in Haiti? The Salvadoran government did not mention the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force, although the missing soldiers were members of that force. However, the Haitian government said it would coordinate operations with El Salvador in the framework of the Gang Suppression Force to restore Haiti’s long-term national security. It was unclear to what extent the UN-backed force and the Salvadoran troops would work together.

The news comes as the Gang Suppression Force has yet to reach its planned strength of 5,500 troops on the ground. Several countries are contributing soldiers to the force. A recent report said only about 1,560 troops were in Haiti so far after months of mobilization. Mercenaries on the ground have also been fighting gangs in Haiti.

Dig deeper: Read Christina Grube’s report on early efforts to find the missing soldiers.