Haiti’s prime minister has defended the presence of foreign security forces and said his government retains direction of operations, as a large Salvadoran deployment searches for four missing aviation technicians and helps confront armed gangs.
Alix Didier Fils-Aimé spoke in Port-au-Prince on 3 November alongside Haitian security officials and representatives of El Salvador and the international Gang Suppression Force. He said international personnel were in Haiti to support national institutions, not replace them.
The remarks followed the disappearance of the four Salvadorans after their vehicle was attacked on 18 October in Croix-des-Bouquets, on the outskirts of the capital. The United Nations has described a Salvadoran deployment of more than 2,000 troops after their disappearance.
Haiti’s national police have since said they recovered the vehicle in the Santo area of Croix-des-Bouquets during a joint operation involving Haitian officers, the Gang Suppression Force and Salvadoran troops. The vehicle was burned, and the men remained missing when authorities announced the recovery. The discovery did not establish what had happened to them.
Questions over command
Fils-Aimé said the Haitian state was responsible for the political and strategic direction of security operations. He described coordination between the country’s police and armed forces and the Gang Suppression Force, which is backed by the United Nations.
That does not resolve all questions about the Salvadoran contingent. The UN has said the vast majority of the additional personnel were not deployed under the Gang Suppression Force framework and therefore fell outside the mandate and reporting arrangements of the UN support office for that force.
The distinction concerns the UN support office’s mandate and reporting arrangements. It does not mean that personnel operating outside the force have acted unlawfully.
A representative of El Salvador’s government said its forces were coordinating closely with the Gang Suppression Force and the Haitian prime minister’s office. Details of the command chain, operational rules and duration of the deployment have not been made clear.
The UN has called for security operations in Haiti, whether conducted within the multinational force or by Haitian authorities and their partners, to respect international law and the rights of the population.
Pressure on communities
Armed groups have extended their influence in and around Port-au-Prince during years of insecurity. The crisis has also affected communities beyond the capital, including areas in the Artibonite region.
Médecins Sans Frontières, a medical charity working in Haiti, said its hospitals in Tabarre and Cité Soleil treated 30 patients injured by gunfire or drone attacks between 18 and 26 October. Women and children were among the wounded. Its account did not establish who was responsible for each injury.
The charity said fighting and blocked roads had made it difficult for some patients to reach care. It also said it had suspended mobile clinics and treated-water distributions in affected neighbourhoods, and called for civilians and medical facilities to be protected.
Fils-Aimé said operations were under way in areas including Kenscoff, Gressier and Artibonite. He also said more than 1,000 police officers had recently completed training and outlined hopes of increasing the numbers of police and soldiers. Those proposed increases are plans, not forces already recruited or deployed.
Restoring security and organising elections are among the government’s stated priorities. Haiti’s electoral council has postponed the first round of presidential and legislative voting from December this year to 18 July 2027, with a second round scheduled for October 2027.
For now, the search for the four technicians and the wider security campaign continue against a backdrop of unresolved questions over the Salvadoran deployment. The prime minister has set out the government’s position on leadership, but the detailed arrangements for the additional troops remain unclear.
Featured image: AI-generated illustration.
