Salvadoran Forces Expand Haiti Mission
Over 2,000 troops will arrive in Haiti to search for missing technicians while the country delays its next election.
By David Almasi ·
El Salvador will send more than 2,000 soldiers to Haiti.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the deployment on Wednesday. This move coincides with Haiti’s decision to postpone its elections.
Haitian electoral authorities moved the first round of presidential and parliamentary votes from December 13 to July 18, 2027. They also set local polls and a potential second round for October 4, 2027. The council extended candidate registration deadlines and added online voter registration. Fewer than 900,000 people had signed up by Wednesday. That total comes from a pool of 6.5 million Haitians who possess the identification cards required to enroll.
The new troops join previous forces sent by President Nayib Bukele. Their primary tasks are searching for four missing aviation technicians and fighting armed gangs. These four Salvadorans disappeared on October 18. Armed men ambushed their vehicle in Croix-des-Bouquets, located east of Port-au-Prince. The technicians served with an international security mission supporting Haitian police. Bukele spoke by telephone with Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime on Wednesday. Fils-Aime’s office stated they agreed to strengthen cooperation on rescue and security operations. It is unclear if the new troops will join the United Nations-backed Gang Suppression Force or operate separately.
Gang violence has complicated preparations for voting. Foreign troops have served under UN-backed arrangements since 2024 to create safer conditions. The last national elections in Haiti took place in 2016. President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in 2021. Transitions authorities have cited insecurity to justify delays in returning to voting.
An international food security assessment released on Wednesday found that 5.94 million Haitians face acute hunger. Of that number, 1.8 million are in emergency conditions. Violence has disrupted farming and food deliveries. Projections indicate the number facing acute hunger will rise to 6.35 million by mid-2027.
