El Salvador has reportedly sent [10] at least 1,000 soldiers [11] to Haiti as part of a mission to rescue four Salvadoran members of the UN-authorized Gang Suppression Force (GSF [12]) who went missing [13] on Oct. 18 after being ambushed by gunmen. Days after the attack, El Salvador's strongman President Nayib Bukele posted a message [14] to social media in Haitian Creole, demanding their release and announcing [15] a military operation; he also [16]threatened the gangs with further action, vowing that "today's attack is nothing compared to what is coming" if the hostages are not released alive.
The fate of the hostages remains unclear. After the ambush, a local gang leader claimed that the soldiers were killed in "error" [18] and the New York Times reported [19] that the remains of the four had been handed over to Salvadoran forces. Bukele rejected the report [20] on social media, claiming [21] "they are not our men," and saying that the remains included ID cards and military uniforms [22] of men from other countries. El Salvador is one of the countries providing soldiers for the beleaguered GSF, alongside Jamaica, Chad, Mongolia, Sri Lanka and Guatemala. (NACLA Update [23])
