Haitians Rally for Salvadoran Intervention Against Gangs Amid Security Crisis
Hundreds of residents across Haiti, including in Port-au-Prince, Belladère, and Jérémie, are publicly appealing to El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele for assistance in combating armed gangs. Demonstrators have taken to the streets, chanting slogans like 'Debloke peyi a' ('Unlock the country') and expressing praise for President Bukele. This public outcry follows the recent deployment of over 2,000 Salvadoran soldiers to Haiti after four Salvadoran aviation technicians, members of the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force (GSF), were ambushed. President Bukele has issued threats of major operations against gangs if the technicians are not released alive. The protests highlight a deep-seated frustration with the Haitian government's perceived inability to adequately equip and support its own National Police (PNH) and Armed Forces of Haiti (FAd’H), leading many to place their hopes in foreign intervention to restore security and allow displaced families to return home.
