El Salvador's president, Nayib Bukele, has threatened Haitian gangs with further action if four military hostages are not returned alive. The hostages, who are part of the Gang Suppression Force, went missing on Sunday after being ambushed by heavily armed criminal groups in Croix-des-Bouquets, an area controlled by armed groups.
What happened
The four hostages, consisting of pilots and technical personnel, were kidnapped while returning from a market in the area. Their armoured vehicle caught fire after being hit by explosives. Salvadoran helicopters were deployed to assist, but multiple attempts to approach the area were hampered by fighting and local security conditions.
The president stated that the mission's objective is to bring the four men back home alive. He added that if they are returned alive and unharmed, the situation will return to normal. The United Nations had approved the Gang Suppression Force earlier this month to tackle escalating gang violence in Haiti.
The incident occurred in a context of increasing gang violence in Haiti, with armed gangs controlling about 85% of the capital, Port-au-Prince. The country has been experiencing economic chaos, a political vacuum, and violent gang warfare since the assassination of its president in 2021.
