El Salvador launches military operation to rescue four technicians kidnapped in Haiti

El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele announced Wednesday that he has launched a military operation to rescue four Salvadoran aviation technicians kidnapped by gangs in Haiti. The technicians went missing Sunday after gangs opened fire on an armored vehicle in the Santo area of Croix-des-Bouquets, Port-au-Prince. The vehicle caught fire following the attack, and the four men fled but have not been located since. This marks the first major attack on the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force (GSF) since international operations began in Haiti last year.

Bukele issued a direct ultimatum to Haitian gang leaders, stating that the four men must be returned alive and unharmed. In a post on X, he warned: "Today's attack is nothing compared to what is coming if they do not release the four hostages alive. And do not take our words as empty threats." He also stated that if the technicians are returned safely, "everything will go back to the way it was before the kidnapping." However, Bukele did not specify whether any further action would involve Salvadoran, Haitian, or international forces.

Bukele emphasized that El Salvador's mission in Haiti is non-combat in nature. He described the four men as aviation technicians whose primary role is to conduct medical evacuations and save lives, not to engage in warfare. The Salvadoran contingent, he noted, consists only of pilots and technical personnel. Haiti's government responded the same evening, declaring the abduction an "absolute priority" and stating that a meeting was held at the prime minister's office to coordinate rescue efforts with the Gang Repression Force and mobilize necessary resources.

The attack underscores the scale of gang violence in Haiti, where armed groups are estimated to control approximately 70 to 85 percent of Port-au-Prince. The four missing men are part of the multinational Gang Suppression Force, which includes more than 2,000 troops from El Salvador, Chad, Jamaica, and Guatemala. No gang has claimed responsibility for the attack. Gang violence in Haiti has displaced nearly 1.5 million people in recent years, with more than 5,700 people killed or injured from January through mid-September 2026, according to the United Nations.

The incident occurs as Haiti prepares for its first general election in more than a decade, though elections originally scheduled for December 13 were postponed indefinitely two weeks prior. The country has faced economic chaos, political instability, and intensifying gang warfare since the assassination of its president in 2021. The UN-backed Gang Suppression Force received approval earlier this month and has been authorized to operate through at least March 2027 following a six-month extension from the UN Security Council.