El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has launched a military operation to rescue four Salvadorans kidnapped by armed gangs in Haiti, warning that a “more powerful operation” will follow if the hostages are not freed. The announcement marks a dramatic escalation of San Salvador’s involvement in Haiti’s spiraling security crisis.
According to officials, the four Salvadorans — aviation technicians working in Haiti — were seized by gang gunmen in Croix-des-Bouquets, the gang-controlled commune northeast of Port-au-Prince that has become one of the most dangerous zones in the country. Their identities have not been publicly released while the operation is underway.
Bukele’s Warning to the Gangs
Bukele confirmed the rescue mission in a statement on Wednesday, saying Salvadoran forces were already operating in Haiti to free the captives. He issued a blunt warning to the kidnappers: release the four Salvadorans now, or face a far larger military response.
“If our people are not released, a more powerful operation will follow,” Bukele said, according to officials. The warning carries weight given El Salvador’s aggressive anti-gang campaigns at home, which have made Bukele one of the region’s most popular — and most controversial — leaders.
Haiti’s Gangs Tighten Their Grip
The kidnapping underscores how completely Haiti’s gangs have overwhelmed the country’s security forces. Armed groups now control most of Port-au-Prince and large stretches of surrounding territory, kidnapping foreigners and locals alike for ransom while a Kenyan-led multinational security mission struggles to gain ground.
Salvadoran personnel have been part of international efforts in Haiti, and the abduction of the aviation technicians marks one of the most direct attacks on a foreign contingent to date. Officials in San Salvador said the rescue operation is being conducted in coordination with Haitian authorities, though few details have been released for operational security.
Regional observers say Bukele’s move could set a precedent for how Latin American governments respond when their citizens are targeted by Haiti’s gangs. For now, the fate of the four technicians remains unknown, and San Salvador has given no timeline for the mission’s conclusion.
The operation also highlights El Salvador’s growing willingness to project force beyond its borders. Bukele’s domestic crackdown — built on a sweeping anti-gang state of emergency — has drawn both praise for crushing violence and condemnation from human rights groups, a tension now following Salvadoran troops into Haiti.
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