El Salvador expands military deployment in Haiti to 1,300 troops

Port-au-Prince, (EFE).- El Salvador has expanded its military deployment in Haiti to about 1,300 troops following the arrival of 690 additional soldiers, according to official sources cited by Haitian media.

The deployment follows an October 18 ambush near Port-au-Prince in which a vehicle carrying four Salvadoran soldiers was attacked. Their whereabouts remain unknown.

A Salvadoran government source told Le Nouvelliste that the deployment was coordinated with the Haitian government and described it as assistance from a friendly country, not an invasion.

Military equipment for the additional troops arrived on three planes in recent days, with further resources reportedly expected. The Salvadoran government has provided few details about the operation, with the source saying authorities prefer to “remain silent and act.”

The deployment appears to exceed the mandate established by the United Nations Security Council for the Gang Suppression Force (GSF), which includes troops from El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, and Chad.

With special forces among the Salvadoran contingent, the deployment is the largest by a single country in Haiti since the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) ended in 2017.