El Salvador adds 2,000 troops to Haiti mission

El Salvador plans to deploy over 2,000 soldiers to Haiti to search for missing personnel and combat armed gangs, its Foreign Ministry stated on Wednesday. The announcement arrived the same day Haitian officials delayed the country's presidential and parliamentary elections.

The four Salvadoran aviation technicians disappeared on October 18. Armed men ambushed their vehicle in Croix-des-Bouquets, a district east of Port-au-Prince. The technicians were part of an international security mission assisting Haitian police. President Nayib Bukele had already sent troops to assist in the search.

On October 21, Bukele posted a threat in Haitian Creole on X. He said he would destroy Haiti's gangs if they did not release the missing staff. On Wednesday, he spoke by phone with Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime. The prime minister's office reported that the leaders agreed to boost cooperation on rescue and security tasks.

Haiti's nine-member Provisional Electoral Council moved the first round of voting from December 13 to July 18, 2027. The body also scheduled the second round and local elections for October 4, 2027. Officials extended candidate registration deadlines and added online voter registration. This is the latest delay in a country that has not held elections since 2016.

The last president, Jovenel Moise, was assassinated in 2021. Transitional leaders have repeatedly postponed voting due to insecurity. Gang violence continues to disrupt daily life and make preparation for a vote difficult.

It remains unclear if the new Salvadoran troops will join the United Nations-backed Gang Suppression Force. That multinational mission has operated in Haiti since 2024. Alternatively, the Salvadoran units may operate independently. Foreign forces are present to help create safer conditions for the upcoming vote.

Voter registration is progressing slowly. The Miami Herald reported that fewer than 900,000 people signed up by Wednesday. Approximately 6.5 million Haitians hold the ID cards required for enrollment. Gang-controlled roads block access to registration centers. An international food security assessment released on Wednesday found 5.94 million Haitians face acute hunger. That number includes 1.8 million in emergency conditions. The report projects that figure will reach 6.35 million by mid-2027.