Name? Nayib Bukele
Westphalian identity? Salvadoran
Age? 45
Why is he in the news? Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele deployed 2,000 troops to Port-au-Prince between 22-28 October. This decision follows the kidnapping of four Salvadoran Air Force technicians on 18 October who had been supporting the United Nations-backed Gang Suppression Force (GSF). An NGO operating in Haiti delivered four bodies to Salvadoran Special Forces that Bukele claimed were not the victims’.
Why do we care? Salvadoran troops have supported the GSF in small numbers since January 2025. Since the ambush, however, Bukele has additionally supplied Special Forces, bringing Salvadoran presence to 2,500 troops. That represents over half of the 4,000 foreign troops currently stationed in Haiti. Unlike those working within the GSF, Salvadoran forces have not undergone human rights training and report directly to Bukele rather than the UN.
Why should you care? Gang violence in Haiti has produced one of the world’s six most severe hunger crises, with food insecurity affecting 5.8 million people. Nearly 1.5 million Haitians have fled the country. Stability appears distant as elections that were supposed to take place this year were postponed to 18 July 2027. This operation is also the first overseas test of Bukele’s hardline approach to organised crime.
Who else cares? Wilson Joseph, the head of the 400 Mawozo gang, wrote a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres to establish peace talks in Haiti following the troop deployment. The letter directly references Bukele and fears of escalating conflict in Haiti. The gang leader has contributed to the violence that has led to the deaths or injury of 5,700 people since January. This is not the first time he has raised a white flag, with the previous gesture only lasting a few days.
Any further comments? The current crisis in Haiti can be partly traced back to the collapse of oil supplies coming in from Venezuela, which ended in 2018.
