Four aviation technicians from El Salvador remain missing after a significant assault on their armored vehicle this past weekend in Port-au-Prince. The incident occurred in Croix-des-Bouquets, a district now held by violent groups, as the soldiers were returning to their camp. According to the Salvadoran armed forces, attackers used explosives and heavy gunfire to set the vehicle ablaze. While the men managed to escape the burning wreckage, they have not been located despite ongoing efforts to establish contact.
Military authorities in El Salvador confirmed that they are coordinating with international coalition forces to determine the whereabouts of their personnel. Aerial support dispatched to the area also came under fire while attempting to clear the scene, illustrating the intensity of the resistance. The Salvadoran military reported that multiple land and air rescue attempts have been hampered by the severity of the fighting in the vicinity.
US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz condemned the violence, stating that the soldiers were targeted with hundreds of bullets and explosives. He expressed confidence that the men survived the initial attack and pledged full efforts to bring them home. During a UN Security Council meeting, Wien-Weibert Arthus, Haiti’s deputy representative to the UN, highlighted that the sophisticated weaponry utilized by the gangs is not manufactured locally, indicating persistent issues with illegal arms trafficking.
The ambush marks the most severe test for the current international gang suppression force, which currently has over 2,000 personnel on the ground. Jack Christofides, the force’s special representative, acknowledged that gang activity has increased in response to security operations, with groups pushing into areas such as Kenscoff and the Artibonite region. The targeted zone is known to be controlled by gangs including 400 Mawozo, Kraze Barye, and Chèn Méchan, all of which remain under international sanctions. “The reality is that we cannot be everywhere at once,” Christofides said.
Despite the escalation, officials maintain that the mission is beginning to show early signs of success in reducing gang influence elsewhere. Romain Le Cour of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime noted that the attack serves as a calculated show of force by groups feeling pressure from the international intervention. He warned that if the soldiers have been captured, the gangs may attempt to leverage their safety for strategic or political gain. “To the gangs and gang leaders who carried out this cowardly attack, if you think you’re going to intimidate this coalition into retreat, you have made a terrible mistake,” he said.
The incident coincides with Haiti’s preparations for its first general election in over a decade. While UN special envoy Carlos Ruiz Massieu reported significant progress on the electoral front—with 3,500 candidates and 35 political groups already registered—the security environment remains volatile. The candidate list includes former President Michel Martelly, who faces sanctions from both the US and Canada over allegations of sponsoring gang violence and facilitating drug trafficking. “This latest episode is a reminder, as if we really needed one, of the fact that the security challenges in Haiti are complex and complicated,” he said. “We hope that those who are missing will be able to go back to thei. It comes as Haiti prepares for its first general election in more than a decade and showcases the power of the gangs that control an estimated 70% of Port-au-Prince. Who was sanctioned in November 2022 by Canada and in August 2024 by the US, which accused him of facilitating drug trafficking and sponsoring multiple gangs, among them is former Haitian President Michel Martelly.
Violence in the region remains at a record high, with the UN recording nearly 1.5 million people displaced and thousands killed or injured since the start of the year. The international coalition, authorized in September 2025 with a mandate of 5,550 members, continues to work alongside the Haitian National Police. While no entity has claimed responsibility for the weekend ambush, the mission remains on high alert and has advised local residents to maintain safety protocols while they assess the unfolding security landscape. A record, across Haiti in recent years, with more than 5,700 people killed or injured from January to mid-September, and more than 230 others kidnapped, according to, gang violence has displaced nearly 1.5 million people. The UN Security Council authorized the 5,550-member force to replace a former Kenya-led multinational force that struggled with a lack of funds and resources as it tried to help Haiti’s National Police quell gang violence, in September 2025.
