El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele is sending up to 2,000 troops to Haiti, a deployment that could double or triple, to combat gang violence and locate four military personnel captured in an ambush on Oct. 18. Bukele called President Donald Trump on Tuesday to make sure he had no problem with the deployment, and Trump told him, according to sources briefed on the call, 'Do what you have to do.'
El Salvador announced the deployment Wednesday under a bilateral agreement approved the same day. Haiti's electoral council also postponed presidential elections until next year because of the gang violence that has killed more than 5,700 people this year.
Bukele, first elected in 2019, rose to fame for wiping out the MS-13 gang through a campaign of brute military force and mass incarceration, transforming his country from a murder capital into what is widely viewed as one of the Western Hemisphere's safest. In a post on X, he warned gang leaders: 'Today's attack is nothing compared to what is coming if we do not get all four hostages back alive.' 'We have already finished with the gangs in El Salvador, and we can finish with you too,' he wrote.
Rep. Brian Mast, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, described the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force already operating in Haiti as too bureaucratic and timid. He told Axios he hopes the Salvadoran mission is 'revenge, retribution and destruction of the gangs.' 'Now the fight is personal to them and the fight will be taken to the gangs,' he added. Mast also said the predecessor UN force, led by Kenya, cost the equivalent of $1 million per Kenyan and that the situation was worse at the end.
Sources told Axios that Bukele had proposed that the Trump administration let El Salvador act as a U.S. proxy force to pacify Haiti, but a source familiar with the discussions said Rubio wanted to stay away from that and keep Haiti off the radar. A request by Bukele for U.S. military equipment, including drones and transport planes, was officially denied, according to another source, who said Colombia may act as an unofficial go-between to supply Bukele's force.
When Bukele called Trump, the president expressed sympathy over the missing personnel, a White House official said. According to a source briefed on the call, Bukele told Trump he was confident he could do the job 'but it might get messy.'
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Bukele's deployment could stabilize Haiti after years of gang violence and political vacuum, or escalate bloodshed if the mission goes awry.
- The operation tests a model of public-private proxy force, Bukele's troops alongside security contractor Erik Prince's firm, that may shape future U.S. intervention in the Caribbean.
- Success would bolster Bukele's regional standing; failure would embarrass him and expose limits of his tough-on-gangs approach.
Background
Haiti has been without a president since Jovenel Moïse was assassinated five years ago. Gang violence has surged, killing more than 5,700 people this year and displacing hundreds of thousands. Bukele won international attention and criticism for crushing El Salvador's notorious MS-13 gang through mass arrests and military sweeps, dramatically lowering murder rates and earning him a strong relationship with the Trump administration.
Key Perspectives
- Nayib Bukele: says he is sending troops to fight the wicked, not for money, and warns that the ambush of his soldiers will be met with a far harsher response if the captives are not freed.
- Rep. Brian Mast: describes the mission as one of revenge, retribution and destruction of the gangs, arguing the UN-backed force has been ineffective and too costly.
- A source familiar with internal discussions: says Bukele is confident he can finish the job but acknowledged the operation 'might get messy.'
What to Watch
- Whether the four missing Salvadoran personnel are recovered and under what circumstances.
- The final size of the Salvadoran force and any shift in the tempo of gang violence in Port-au-Prince.
- Signs of indirect U.S. support, especially if Colombia or other partners supply equipment that Washington will not provide directly.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 9 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedTrump backs Bukele’s plan to send troops to Haiti.Axios: “"Do what you have to do," Trump told him, according to sources briefed on the call.”
- Reports differEl Salvador is sending up to 2,000 troops to Haiti.Axios: “El Salvador announced Wednesday it was deploying as many as 2,000 troops to Haiti.”
- SupportedThe deployment could double or triple.Axios: “That number could double or triple, sources say.”
- SupportedBukele called Trump on Tuesday to check that he had no problem with the deployment, and Trump replied, “Do what you have to do.”Axios: “Bukele called President Trump on Tuesday to make sure he had no problem with this major military escalation, to which Haiti's government has agreed. "Do what you have to do," Trump told him, according to sources briefed on the call.”
- Partly supportedFour Salvadoran military personnel were captured in an ambush on October 18.Axios: “On Oct. 18, four Salvadoran aviation technicians were ambushed and remain unaccounted for, according to the Miami Herald.”
- SupportedThe troops are in Haiti to fight gangs and find the four missing personnel.Axios: “Nayib Bukele, is sending thousands of troops to Haiti to boost the island's push to wipe out its gang problem — and find four of his military personnel who were captured in a recent ambush.”
- SupportedBukele warned gang leaders, “Today's attack is nothing compared to what is coming if we do not get all four hostages back alive.”Axios: “"I want you, the gang leaders, to understand one thing very clearly: Today's attack is nothing compared to what is coming if we do not get all four hostages back alive."”
- SupportedBukele wrote, “We have already finished with the gangs in El Salvador, and we can finish with you too.”Axios: “"We have already finished with the gangs in El Salvador, and we can finish with you too," he wrote.”
- SupportedHaiti’s electoral council postponed presidential elections until next year because of gang violence.Axios: “Also Wednesday, Haiti's electoral council postponed presidential elections until next year because of the gang violence.”
- SupportedGang violence has killed more than 5,700 people in Haiti this year.Axios: “it could increase Haiti's death toll well beyond the 5,700-plus killed in gang violence this year”
- SupportedMast said he hoped the Salvadoran mission was “revenge, retribution and destruction of the gangs.”Axios: “"I hope the mission is revenge, retribution and destruction of the gangs. Somebody needs to be there with motive and motivation."”
- Partly supportedMultiple sources told Axios that Bukele proposed El Salvador act as a U.S. proxy force to pacify Haiti.Axios: “Bukele had proposed that the Trump administration let El Salvador pacify Haiti as a U.S. proxy force, but "Rubio wanted to stay away from that. He wants to keep Haiti off the radar," a source familiar with the discussions told Axios.”