El Salvador plans to send more than 2,000 soldiers to Haiti to search for four missing Salvadoran aviation technicians and fight armed gangs, while Haiti's electoral authorities have again postponed the country's elections, moving the first round of presidential and parliamentary voting from December 13 to July 18, 2027.
El Salvador's foreign ministry announced the deployment on Wednesday, the same day Haiti's electoral authorities moved the first round. The council also scheduled a second round and local polls for October 4, 2027, extended candidate registration deadlines and introduced online voter registration.
Haiti has held no elections since 2016 and its last president, Jovenel Moise, was assassinated in 2021. Successive transitional authorities have delayed a return to voting, citing insecurity, with gang violence making preparations for elections dangerous.
The four Salvadorans disappeared on October 18 after armed men ambushed their vehicle in Croix-des-Bouquets, east of the capital Port-au-Prince. They were serving with an international security mission supporting Haitian police. President Nayib Bukele has already sent troops to help find them, and in an October 21 post on X written in Haitian Creole he threatened to destroy Haiti's gangs if the missing personnel were not released.
Bukele spoke by telephone with Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime on Wednesday, and Fils-Aime's office said they had agreed to strengthen cooperation on rescue efforts and security operations. It remains unclear whether the additional Salvadoran troops will join the United Nations-backed Gang Suppression Force, a multinational mission assisting Haitian police against gangs, or operate separately. Foreign troops have served in Haiti under UN-backed security arrangements since 2024, partly to create safer conditions for elections.
Fewer than 900,000 people had registered to vote by Wednesday, the Miami Herald reported, out of 6.5 million Haitians holding the identification cards needed to enrol. Gang-controlled roads make it difficult to reach registration centres, while violence has forced many people from their homes.
An international food security assessment released Wednesday found that 5.94 million Haitians face acute hunger, including 1.8 million in emergency conditions, as violence disrupts farming and food deliveries. The number facing acute hunger is projected to rise to 6.35 million by mid-2027.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Haiti's return to elected government is pushed back again, with first-round voting now not due until July 2027 and local polls a further three months beyond that.
- The size of El Salvador's deployment raises questions about whether security operations in Haiti remain under UN-backed arrangements or run alongside them.
- The humanitarian crisis deepens alongside the security failure: an assessment puts the number facing acute hunger at 5.94 million, projected to rise by mid-2027.
Background
Haiti has had no elected government since 2016, and President Jovenel Moise's assassination in 2021 removed the last elected head of state. Successive transitional authorities have postponed voting, citing insecurity as gangs control roads and force residents from their homes. Foreign troops have been serving under UN-backed arrangements since 2024, partly to create safer conditions for elections. El Salvador's president, Nayib Bukele, has taken a hard line toward gangs and previously threatened Haitian gangs over the abduction of the soldiers.
Key Perspectives
El Salvador's foreign ministry: announced it would send more than 2,000 soldiers to search for the missing technicians and fight armed gangs.
Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council: moved the first round of elections to July 18, 2027, scheduling the second round and local polls for October 4, 2027.
President Nayib Bukele: threatened to destroy Haiti's gangs if the missing personnel were not released.
Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime's office: said Bukele and Fils-Aime agreed to strengthen cooperation on rescue efforts and security operations.
What to Watch
- Whether the additional Salvadoran troops join the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force or operate as a separate deployment.
- Voter registration numbers, with fewer than 900,000 of 6.5 million eligible Haitians enrolled by Wednesday.
- Whether the projected rise in acute hunger to 6.35 million by mid-2027 puts further pressure on the transitional authorities.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
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- SupportedEl Salvador pledged more than 2,000 soldiers to Haiti as the country postponed elections again.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “El Salvador pledges more than 2,000 soldiers as Haiti delays elections. El Salvador plans to send more than 2,000 soldiers to Haiti”
- SupportedHaiti moved the first round of voting from December 13 to July 18, 2027.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “moved the first round of presidential and parliamentary elections from December 13 to July 18, 2027.”
- SupportedEl Salvador plans to send the soldiers to search for four missing Salvadoran aviation technicians and fight armed gangs.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “El Salvador plans to send more than 2,000 soldiers to Haiti to search for four missing Salvadoran aviation technicians and fight armed gangs”
- SupportedFour Salvadoran technicians disappeared after armed men ambushed their vehicle in Croix-des-Bouquets on October 18.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “The four Salvadorans disappeared on October 18 after armed men ambushed their vehicle in Croix-des-Bouquets, east of the capital, Port-au-Prince.”
- SupportedHaiti scheduled a second round of voting and local polls for October 4, 2027.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Haiti’s nine-member Provisional Electoral Council, which organises elections, also scheduled a second round of voting and local polls for October 4, 2027.”
- SupportedPresident Nayib Bukele had already sent troops to help find the missing Salvadorans.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “President Nayib Bukele has already sent troops to help find them.”
- SupportedBukele threatened in an October 21 post on X to destroy Haiti’s gangs if they did not release the missing personnel.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “In an October 21 post on X, written in Haitian Creole, he threatened to destroy Haiti’s gangs if they did not release the missing personnel.”
- SupportedBukele spoke by telephone with Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime on Wednesday, and Fils-Aime’s office said they agreed to strengthen cooperation on rescue efforts and security operations.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Bukele spoke by telephone with Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime on Wednesday. Fils-Aime’s office said they had agreed to strengthen cooperation on rescue efforts and security operations.”
- SupportedIt remains unclear whether the additional Salvadoran troops will join the Gang Suppression Force or operate separately.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “It remains unclear whether the additional Salvadoran troops will join the United Nations-backed Gang Suppression Force, a multinational mission assisting Haitian police against gangs, or operate separately.”
- SupportedFewer than 900,000 people had registered to vote by Wednesday, out of 6.5 million Haitians holding the identification cards needed to enrol.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Fewer than 900,000 people had registered by Wednesday, the Miami Herald reported, out of 6.5 million Haitians holding the identification cards needed to enrol.”
- SupportedAn international food security assessment found 5.94 million Haitians facing acute hunger, including 1.8 million in emergency conditions.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “An international food security assessment released on Wednesday found that 5.94 million Haitians face acute hunger, including 1.8 million in emergency conditions”
- SupportedThe number of Haitians facing acute hunger is projected to rise to 6.35 million by mid-2027.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “The number facing acute hunger is projected to rise to 6.35 million by mid-2027.”