A Haitian Update

Nayib Bukele's Salvadoran troops have been in Haiti since last week, ostensibly on a mission to rescue four kidnapped aviation techs who'd been ambushed by gangs back on the 19th. 

At first, it was just a few hundred soldiers, and the president of El Salvador was polite but firm in his request to whoever had his men - give them back or else.

Used to being able to blow off everyone from the United States to the United Nations, Haitian gangs had a good laugh, filmed a couple smack-talkin' 'come at me bro' videos...

The leader of the #Haitian opposition government 400 MAWOZO Wilson Joseph, alias "Lanmo San Jou," sends a message to the president of El Salvador, @nayibbukele . Video 1: "Bukele, I hear you talking. I hear you threatening us. But let me tell you something: you are in El Salvador, and we are in Haiti. Haiti is not El Salvador. You think you can just come here with your soldiers and clean us out the way you did with the gangs in your country? Come on then, try it. Look at what we have here. Look at this arsenal. We are not afraid of you, and we are not afraid of your military.If you step foot in our territory, we are ready for you. You are talking to Lanmo San Jou. We rule here, and your threats mean nothing to us. If you want your men back, you will have to deal with us on our terms, not yours." Video 2: "Bukele, I am speaking directly to you. I see you talking on the internet, threatening us and making grand statements because you think Haiti is El Salvador. Look at what we have here. Look at these buckets, look at these trays. This is all heavy ammunition, and we have the automatic rifles to match them. We aren’t running away. I have nowhere to go, and I am not hiding from you. If you think your soldiers are just going to walk in here and take over, come try it. We are standing our ground right here. We are waiting for you, and we are fully prepared to fight you and your troops." https://t.co/k4T9k9kgER

— Alliance of Biafran Americans (@realabamake) October 23, 2026

...and sent the mixed remains of four charred corpses back via a shady NGO.

There's your guys, they said.

Not my troops, replied the president of El Salvador. Especially the child's body, and this was a mistake on your part.

BREAKING: Bukele announces that El Salvador has launched a military operation in Haiti. The goal is to free 4 Salvadoran citizens kidnapped by the Haitian gangs. Bukele threatens that El Salvador will eradicate the Haitian gangs if they hurt the kidnapped men: “I want you, the gang leaders, to understand one thing very clearly… Today's attack is nothing compared to what is coming if we do not get all 4 hostages back alive. Do not take our word for empty threats. We have already finished with the gangs in El Salvador and we can finish you too” https://t.co/27gSJs6dRL

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) October 21, 2026

...The goal is to free 4 Salvadoran citizens kidnapped by the Haitian gangs. Bukele threatens that El Salvador will eradicate the Haitian gangs if they hurt the kidnapped men: 

“I want you, the gang leaders, to understand one thing very clearly… Today's attack is nothing compared to what is coming if we do not get all 4 hostages back alive. Do not take our word for empty threats. We have already finished with the gangs in El Salvador and we can finish you too” 

Not 24 hours later, the same gang leader was begging for Bukele to call off his dogs.

Not on my bingo card: A brutal Haitian gang kingpin begging the UN for mediation because the heat got turned up by Bukele. How about gang leaders stop ambushing international forces, terrorizing the police, and abusing the Haitian people, and maybe then we can talk mediation. https://t.co/bdgr17ylOE

— Ambassador Mike Waltz (@USAmbUN) November 3, 2026

Little did any of them realize Bukele was sending 10 times more dogs into the fray. 

By October 30, Bukele had 2,000 Salvadoran troops in the country or on their way, and the you-know-what was fixin' to get real. More importantly, he had the blessing of the United States and the UN's tacit approval to do what he felt he had to do.

There have been organized protests in the major cities against the arrival of the Salvadoran military...

Hundreds of Haitians gathered in Canaan, north of Port-au-Prince, to protest the presence of Salvadoran military forces. 🇭🇹🇸🇻 Demonstrators rejected foreign military operations deployed in the Cul-de-Sac plain, warning that foreign interventions put civilian populations at severe risk. Community leaders demanded respect for local sovereignty, calling for peace, healthcare, and schools rather than further militarization. Courtesy: Viory #Haiti #ElSalvador #PortAuPrince #Canaan #teleSUREnglish

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) November 4, 2026

...but they have been few and far between.

Most often the reaction has been one of relief from the locals, greeting the convoys and troops like conquering heroes entering Palermo during WWII.

Presidente Bukele, su nombre quedará grabado para siempre en la memoria del pueblo haitiano. Si logra alcanzar el objetivo de contribuir a erradicar las pandillas y devolverle la paz y la seguridad a Haití, su legado y el de El Salvador serán recordados con gratitud. https://t.co/TbjQJd5wis

— Haití en Español (@haitienespanol) November 4, 2026

President Bukele, your name will be forever etched in the memory of the Haitian people. If you succeed in achieving the goal of contributing to the eradication of gangs and restoring peace and security to Haiti, your legacy and that of El Salvador will be remembered with gratitude.

Crazy glad to see them.

🇭🇹 🇸🇻 | En la comunidad de Kenscoff, los militares salvadoreños fueron recibidos con cánticos y alegría por parte de la población. https://t.co/WqCMLzjvwH

— Haití en Español (@haitienespanol) November 3, 2026

  | In the Kenscoff community, the Salvadoran military were welcomed with chants and joy by the population.

#Haiti | Ya se siente la presencia de las Tropas Salvadoreñas en suelo Haitiano, en algunas partes del pais son recibidos con musica y obsequios, la poblacion de bien ayuda a recuperar su pais y agradecen a El Salvador por prestar su armamento y liberarlos de las pandillas. https://t.co/Dqh7yajvah

— JMRAFFi (@JMRAFFi_ES) November 3, 2026

#Haiti | The presence of the Salvadoran Troops is already being felt on Haitian soil; in some parts of the country, they are welcomed with music and gifts. The good people are helping to reclaim their country and thank El Salvador for lending their weaponry and freeing them from the gangs.

The gangs, not so much. The troops wasted little time setting up and getting to work.

❗️🇸🇻🇭🇹 Wojska Salwadoru wkroczyły do Haiti Siły zbrojne Salwadoru, pod dowództwem prezydenta Nayib Bukele, atakują uzbrojone gangi na Haiti. Ponad 2000 salwadorskich żołnierzy, wspieranych przez śmigłowce MD500E i Black Hawk oraz pojazdy opancerzone, uczestniczy w działaniach przeciwko uzbrojonym gangom, szczególnie w rejonie Croix-des-Bouquets i na obrzeżach Port-au-Prince. ℹ️ Reuters

— Dominik Serwacki 🇵🇱 ✍️ 🌍 (@DominikSerwacki) November 4, 2026

 Salvadoran Troops Enter Haiti The armed forces of El Salvador, under the command of President Nayib Bukele, are attacking armed gangs in Haiti. 

Over 2,000 Salvadoran soldiers, supported by MD500E and Black Hawk helicopters as well as armored vehicles, are participating in operations against armed gangs, particularly in the Croix-des-Bouquets area and on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince.

The same gang leader is still begging for Bukele to pick up when he calls, and now seems to be terribly concerned about civilian casualties if the fighting 'escalates.'

Guess he's getting a presidential 'busy' signal - cuz Bukele's busy kicking his a**.

#Haïti #Salvador "Bukele, les politiciens sont les pères des gangs": acculé par l’offensive salvadorienne, le chef de gang, Lanmò Sanjou tend la main. Alors que des milliers de soldats salvadoriens ont été déployés en Haïti après la disparition de quatre soldats du Salvador, le chef du gang 400 Mawozo, Wilson Joseph, alias Lanmò Sanjou, change radicalement de ton. Celui qui, il y a quelques jours encore, s'en prenait à Nayib Bukele, affirme désormais être prêt à déposer les armes et à ouvrir des négociations. Dans un message adressé au président salvadorien, il soutient que les véritables responsables du chaos en Haïti sont les politiciens qui auraient armé les gangs avant de faire appel à des forces étrangères pour les combattre. Lanmò Sanjou va plus loin. Selon lui, les quatre Salvadoriens disparus sont morts, même si les autorités haïtiennes parlent toujours d'un enlèvement et que le gouvernement salvadorien espère qu'ils sont encore en vie. Si leur décès est confirmé, la mission salvadorienne pourrait prendre une autre dimension. Il ne s'agirait plus seulement de retrouver des otages, mais de traquer les gangsters responsables, comme Nayib Bukele l'avait fait au Salvador contre les gangs. Le chef de 400 Mawozo affirme craindre une escalade qui ferait davantage de victimes parmi les civils. "Le dialogue doit prévaloir sur la force", plaide-t-il, tout en se disant disposé à participer à des négociations sous médiation internationale. Reste à savoir si Nayib Bukele tendra l'oreille à cet appel. Alors que 2 000 soldats salvadoriens sont désormais déployés en Haïti, certains s'interrogent déjà: la mission vise-t-elle seulement à retrouver les disparus ou à porter un coup décisif aux gangs qui terrorisent le pays? #AfricaLog #geopolitique

— Fenelon MASSALA (@rfemassala) November 3, 2026

...The leader of 400 Mawozo claims to fear an escalation that would lead to more civilian casualties. 

"Dialogue must prevail over force," he pleads, while expressing his willingness to take part in negotiations under international mediation. 

It remains to be seen whether Nayib Bukele will lend an ear to this appeal. 

As 2,000 Salvadoran soldiers are now deployed in Haiti, some are already asking: does the mission aim solely to find the missing, or to deliver a decisive blow to the gangs terrorizing the country?...

President Bukele simply answered with another 'Come out, come out, wherever you are' call.

Thing of beauty. Literally a search-and-destroy mission.

Gather your gangs so we can go fight with them… 

Thank you, President Bukele. It's obvious that the only reason the gangs have infested Haiti for so long, is because those in power both in Haiti and abroad have been content for it to be so. God bless you as you protect the good, and punish the evildoer. That is the role that God assigns to the government. I hope that your example inspires other Presidents and Prime Ministers to follow you in embracing and being faithful to that calling from God.

— Dei Civitas (@DeiCivitas) November 4, 2026

This entire enterprise is fraught with risk - there is absolutely no disputing that. The gangs may be knocked off their feet for the moment, but there's every chance that someone gets their act together...or just gets lucky.

...The operation carries enormous risk. Gangs hold roughly 90% of Port-au-Prince and control critical arterial roads for fuel, medicine, and food. Salvadoran military units must now navigate foreign slums where up to an estimated 15,000 armed Creole-speaking combatants operate along narrow corridors and mountain extraction routes. Many of them are child soldiers.

“The risk of a Black Hawk Down scenario is very high,” said Benjamin Gedan, director of the Latin America program at the Stimson Center, referring to the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu in Somalia and the resulting book and movie about a Black Hawk helicopter carrying U.S. forces that was shot down.

The Salvadorans’ initial objective remains unresolved. There has been no proof of life and no ransom demand for the four technicians, who disappeared after an attack in Croix-des-Bouquets, 9 miles northeast of the capital. Security officials familiar with the incident fear the men were killed during or immediately after the ambush.

“The gangs are dangerous,” said Carlos Ruiz Massieu, special representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Haiti. “They are armed with high caliber weapons and operate largely within an urban context,” he said. The Salvadorans and other forces must do everything to prevent casualties in areas where gang members live among civilians, he said.  

But it is also indisputable that they have never faced a gang-warfare-proven national leader with troops of Bukele's caliber, focused solely on annihilating them. They have only seen stitched-together international missions whose purpose is usually distribution of supplies and protecting relief activities, not hunting down the gangs themselves. 

Bukele’s soldiers are now making their presence felt in Haiti. Local reports say that the Salvadoran soldiers are pouring in and took control of large areas today, with gang members fleeing to avoid firefights. Via @infospartagesos https://t.co/VvTwg7fsiY

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) November 4, 2026

The Haitian gangs could well have overplayed their hand here and picked the wrong cage to rattle.

I will be delighted to watch it go sideways for them for however long Bukele sticks around.

Editor's Note: The mainstream media continues to gaslight, spin, and lie about President Trump, his administration, and conservatives.

Help us continue to expose their left-wing bias by reading news you can trust. Join HotAir VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.