A letter attributed to the head of Haiti's 400 Mawozo gang asks the UN to mediate talks, as the search for four Salvadoran soldiers continues
Summary
Haitian media circulated a letter, dated November 1 and reportedly addressed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, in which the leader of the 400 Mawozo gang, Wilson Joseph, alias Lanmò San Jou, asks for a United Nations delegation to facilitate talks with the international forces in Haiti, according to DW, La Página, Contrapunto and Infobae. The gang operates in Croix-des-Bouquets, on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, the area where four Salvadoran soldiers were attacked on October 18. According to DW and La Página, the letter argues that President Nayib Bukele's "threats" against the gangs to hand over the soldiers could increase violence, and says: "Our country, deeply punished by insecurity and poverty, needs dialogue, justice and reconciliation, not new human losses" (our translation). The United States offers up to one million dollars for information leading to his capture. According to El Diario de Hoy, 15 days after the ambush the whereabouts of the four soldiers are still unconfirmed.
Sources
More coverage
Related
Bukele says Salvadoran helicopters repelled a gang attack on Chadian soldiers in Haiti
President Nayib Bukele said on X on Tuesday night that Salvadoran forces deployed in Haiti came to the aid of Chadian soldiers from the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) who were under attack by gangs, and that they repelled the attackers with attack helicopters. "The gangs no longer have the upper hand," he wrote. Diario La Página and Infobae reported the announcement. According to La Página, a helicopter patrolled over the commune of Croix-des-Bouquets at 6:16 p.m., where gunfire was heard. El Salvador has more than 2,000 soldiers in Haiti searching for four Salvadoran aviation technicians missing since October 18.
Bukele sends a message in Creole to the Haitian people: "Haiti will be free"
President Nayib Bukele posted a message in Haitian Creole on X addressed to the people of Haiti. In it he recalled Jean-Jacques Dessalines, leader of Haiti's independence, and compared those who betrayed him with those who today are gang members, finance gangs or give them weapons. Bukele said El Salvador can help Haitians defeat them, but that it is not an invader. According to the Presidential Press Secretariat, he said: "We are on the same side as you. We will help you take back the country from the hands of the traitors who betray Dessalines' legacy. And, finally, Haiti will be free" (our translation). Diario La Página and elsalvador.com published the message.
The UN says most of the additional Salvadoran troops in Haiti are not part of the GSF
Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, said that "the vast majority of these personnel are not deployed under the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) and therefore fall outside the scope and reporting of the United Nations Support Office" (our translation), as reported by elsalvador.com. The UN did not say how many Salvadoran soldiers belong to each group. The spokesman repeated that all security operations in Haiti, inside or outside the GSF, must comply with international law. Diario Co Latino also reported the clarification, in a piece critical of the Salvadoran deployment.
Haiti's prime minister highlights support from El Salvador and Bukele in the offensive against gangs
Haiti's prime minister, Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, reaffirmed at a press conference devoted to security that his government aims to regain control of the territory with the Haitian National Police (PNH) and the Armed Forces of Haiti (FAd'H), according to Diario La Página and El Diario de Hoy. Fils-Aimé said these forces are joining efforts around a common strategy and specifically cited the support of President Nayib Bukele and El Salvador. He also warned that the actions will reach what he called "gangs in ties" (our translation), referring to powerful networks linked to crime.
Salvadoran troops launch their first major operation against gangs in Haiti's Cul-de-Sac plain
Salvadoran troops on Monday launched their first major operation in the Cul-de-Sac plain, northeast of Port-au-Prince, against the Chen Mechan and 400 Mawozo gangs, which are blamed for the disappearance of four Salvadoran soldiers, according to EFE as cited by Infobae, 20minutos, Acento and RTVE. Around ten armored vehicles and soldiers with assault rifles advanced in the Santo and Croix-des-Missions sectors; according to the Haitian press, at least ten gang members were killed in the clashes, and Infobae notes that no casualties among the Salvadoran forces, the Haitian National Police or civilians have been officially reported. The Haitian National Police announced a broad operation in the area with support from the UN-mandated Gang Suppression Force, which according to its statement aims "to eliminate toll checkpoints, put an end to kidnapping attempts and to the abuse the population suffers at the hands of terrorist bandits in the Cul-de-Sac plain" (our translation). President Nayib Bukele shared on X a video of Salvadoran armored vehicles in Haiti accompanied only by El Salvador's flag; Diario Libre notes the video does not say where or when it was filmed. The whereabouts of the four Salvadorans remain officially unconfirmed.