The Haitian Government states that the release of four Salvadoran military technicians—abducted in Haiti on Sunday, October 18, 2026, during an attack on an armored vehicle (https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-48701-haiti-flash-the-4-salvadoran-soldiers-from-the-burned-out-armored-vehicle-are-missing.html) is an absolute priority for State authorities.

On Wednesday, October 21, 2026, a high-level meeting was held at the Prime Minister’s Office, coordinated by Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé and attended by relevant officials, to assess ongoing interventions and determine the measures needed to strengthen operations, in close collaboration with the Gang Supression Force (GSF).

The Government is determined to assert state authority with the utmost firmness against armed groups. Security forces are fully mobilized and are conducting operations with resolve to secure the release of the abducted soldiers and protect human lives; all necessary resources have been deployed to achieve this objective.

Furthermore, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has issued a firm statement addressed to those holding the four Salvadoran military personnel hostage.

Message from President Nayib Bukele :

"The men you have abducted are not combatants. They are aeronautical technicians working as part of our mission in Haiti, an international mission. Our team consists exclusively of pilots and technical personnel; their primary role is to carry out medical evacuations and save lives, not to wage war.

Yet, you abducted them in a cowardly manner while they were returning from buying provisions at a local supermarket : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-48701-haiti-flash-the-4-salvadoran-soldiers-from-the-burned-out-armored-vehicle-are-missing.html

That is why, today, we have launched a military operation to rescue them. We have only one objective : to ensure that our four compatriots return home safe and sound.

But I want you, the gang leaders, to understand one thing very clearly : today’s attack is nothing compared to what awaits you if you do not release the four hostages, safe and sound.

And do not mistake our words for empty threats. We have dealt with gangs in El Salvador before, and we are fully capable of doing the same with you.

There is still time to avoid this.

Return our four compatriots to us, safe and sound, and everything will go back to the way it was before the abduction.

The decision is in your hands."

Measures taken in El Salvador by President Nayib Bukele to put an end to violence :

It should be recalled that President Nayib Bukele resolved the gang problem in El Salvador by implementing a policy of massive, ultra-security-focused repression. In March 2022, following a wave of violence, he declared a state of exception and suspended several constitutional rights, allowing the police and the military to carry out mass arrests without judicial warrants—based merely on suspicion or visual markers, such as tattoos. Prison sentences have been significantly increased, with potential terms ranging from several decades to life imprisonment for gang members and leaders. The government constructed the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), a massive, high-security prison capable of holding up to 40,000 inmates. More than 92,000 people have been incarcerated since the state of emergency began. The decline in violence has been dramatic : the homicide rate, which stood at over 100 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2015, has fallen to approximately 1.3 per 100,000 in recent years, making El Salvador one of the safest countries in Latin America.

The local population has largely regained its freedom of movement in neighborhoods once controlled by MS-13 and Barrio 18—a development that has secured immense popularity for President Bukele (who was re-elected in 2024 with approximately 85% of the vote).

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-48701-haiti-flash-the-4-salvadoran-soldiers-from-the-burned-out-armored-vehicle-are-missing.html

SL/ HaitiLibre