The four missing individuals were members of the Gang Suppression Force (GSF), a unit the UN Security Council approved earlier this month. Heavily armed criminal groups ambushed the personnel in Croix-des-Bouquets.
The Armed Forces of El Salvador stated the group was attacked while returning to its camp in an armoured vehicle that caught fire after being struck by explosives. The Gang Suppression Force (GSF) engaged the armed gang elements with helicopter support, and early reports from the unit indicated that several gang members were killed.
Salvadoran helicopters were deployed to assist the operation. Nayib Bukele said the mission is to "carry out medical evacuations and save lives, not to wage war."
Armed gangs currently control approximately 85% of Port-au-Prince, and the UN reports these groups are increasing reprisals against civilians while expanding into rural areas. More than 5,500 people died in gang-related violence in Haiti during 2024.
Haiti has not held elections since 2016, and the country postponed its presidential and legislative votes scheduled for 13 December indefinitely. The assassination of the Haitian president in 2021 preceded the current instability.
