International forces in Haiti are working to establish contact with four Salvadoran soldiers who went missing after armed gangs attacked their armored vehicle with explosives on Sunday, according to information released as the UN Security Council prepared to meet on the situation in Haiti.
According to sources, the soldiers, part of the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force (GSF), managed to escape the burning vehicle in Croix-des-Bouquets, north of the capital Port-au-Prince. It is the first major attack on the international force since it began operations earlier this year.
On Monday, El Salvador's Armed Forces said the soldiers — four aviation technicians — were on their way back to base when they were attacked. Helicopters were deployed to "establish contact and locate the service members," but they too came under fire while dispersing personnel.
"Multiple ground and air approach attempts were made, but the intensity of the fighting hindered these efforts," a Salvadoran statement said.
The GSF said it was assessing the situation and advised residents to stay indoors. According to the force, efforts to reach the scene remain difficult because of ongoing fighting.
The UN Security Council was due to meet late on Monday on Haiti, and the attack is expected to dominate discussions.
The GSF officially began operations on June 1 but has so far deployed only on a limited scale. According to a UN statement, the force is expected to reach full operational capability between now and the end of the year. The GSF currently has more than 1,500 troops in Haiti, including personnel from Chad, Jamaica and Guatemala.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. It comes as Haiti prepares to hold its first general election in more than a decade, and it reflects the strength of armed gangs that control an estimated 70% of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
The area where the armored vehicle was hit is under gang control, including Kraze Barye, led by Vitelhomme Innocent, and 400 Mawozo, led by Lanmo Sanjou. Both gang leaders have been sanctioned by the United Nations and the United States.
"Armed gangs have overrun large areas of the capital, Port-au-Prince, using tactics including killing, kidnapping and sexual violence amid widespread lawlessness," according to a UN Security Council report last month.
Since President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in July 2021, Haiti has been mired in a multidimensional crisis of extreme violence, political deadlock and severe humanitarian conditions. Gang violence has driven displacement across Haiti to a record 1.5 million people in recent years. The United Nations says at least 5,700 people were killed or injured between January and mid-September this year, and 230 were kidnapped.
