Haitian PM to visit El Salvador amid troop operations
Salvadoran officials confirm a meeting next week to determine the legal status of 2,500 troops currently fighting gangs in Port-au-Prince.
By Rebecca Foster ·
Tensions between Port-au-Prince and San Salvador have risen as Salvadoran military forces remain stationed in Haiti.
Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé is scheduled to visit El Salvador next week to discuss the future of those troops. A Salvadoran government official confirmed the meeting to The Associated Press on Monday, speaking anonymously because they were not cleared to speak publicly. It remains unclear if Fils-Aimé will sit down directly with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele.
The visit follows a rapid escalation of violence in the Caribbean nation. Bukele launched the military offensive in October after four Salvadoran aviation technicians went missing during a gang attack. Since then, at least 2,500 Salvadoran soldiers have operated in Haiti. Bukele has framed the campaign as a crusade against crime, targeting gangs that control large portions of the territory and maintain ties with local political elites.
The conflict intensified last week with a specific strike against a gang leader. On Sunday, Haitian police and Salvadoran soldiers destroyed the home of Wilson Joseph, who leads the 400 Mawozo gang. Damian Merlo, a lobbyist for the Salvadoran government, confirmed the operation. Joseph, known as Lanmò San Jou, survived the raid. Gang leaders frequently rotate between safe houses, complicating military efforts to eliminate them.
Prior to the raid, Bukele took to the social media platform X on Friday to solicit information. He asked followers in Haitian Creole for the exact address of Joseph’s house, stating he would destroy it once located. Several accounts replied with direct coordinates. Joseph previously told the AP that the four missing Salvadoran technicians were dead and had been attacked by a rival group called Chen Mechan. The Salvadoran government continues to maintain that the technicians are alive.
Salvadoran forces operate under a signed agreement between the two governments, according to Merlo. He declined to specify the exact rights granted to the troops. He said the legal framework is either a status of forces agreement, which defines the legal rights of a foreign military, or a memorandum of understanding that covers broader military cooperation. The Haitian government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Details of the operations have remained vague, raising questions about the legality of the deployment and the potential for further violence. Fils-Aimé addressed the scrutiny last week, stating that Salvadoran forces are present to support the fight against gangs. Bukele is known for his aggressive anti-gang campaign in El Salvador, which lowered homicide rates but drew accusations of human rights abuses.
