Gangs in Haiti ambush international force, four Salvadoran soldiers missing

On October 18, 2026, armed gang members ambushed a UN-backed Gang Suppression Force vehicle in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti with explosives and bullets. Four Salvadoran air force technicians fled the burning transport and remain missing. Salvadoran helicopters dispatched to locate the personnel encountered heavy gunfire, preventing ground and air rescue access. At the UN Security Council on October 19, US Ambassador Mike Waltz expressed belief that the soldiers survived as international forces continue search operations.

Ambush of Salvadoran soldiers

• ▪On October 18, 2026, armed gangs in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti ambushed an armored vehicle carrying four Salvadoran air force aviation technicians with explosives and hundreds of bullets
• ▪An ambush on a Salvadoran armored vehicle on October 18, 2026 occurred in the Croix-des-Bouquets and Santo areas on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, territory controlled by criminal groups including Chèn Méchan, Kraze Barye, and 400 Mawozo
• ▪The four Salvadoran air force technicians fled their burning armored vehicle following the October 18, 2026 explosive attack in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, but contact was lost and they remain unaccounted for

Rescue efforts for missing soldiers

• ▪The Gang Suppression Force advised residents living near the Santo and Croix-des-Bouquets areas to remain indoors while rescue operations and fighting continued
• ▪Salvadoran military forces dispatched helicopters to locate the four missing Salvadoran personnel after the October 18, 2026 attack in Croix-des-Bouquets, but intense ground fire and heavy fighting hampered rescue attempts by land and air

International response to missing soldiers

• ▪At a UN Security Council meeting on October 19, 2026, US Ambassador Mike Waltz stated the US believes the four missing Salvadoran soldiers survived the October 18, 2026 ambush in Croix-des-Bouquets
• ▪UN Secretary-General spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric condemned the October 18, 2026 ambush in Croix-des-Bouquets on October 19, 2026, demanding the immediate and safe release of the four missing Salvadoran soldiers

Gang Suppression Force authorization and deployment

• ▪The United Nations-backed Gang Suppression Force in Haiti deployed over 2,000 troops, including contingents from Chad, Jamaica, Guatemala, and El Salvador
• ▪The United Nations Security Council authorized the 5,550-member Gang Suppression Force in September 2025 to replace a Kenya-led multinational force that faced funding shortages

UN briefing on gang activity

• ▪Jack Christofides, special representative for the Gang Suppression Force, stated at the UN on October 19, 2026 that hostile incidents and gang attacks against international forces have increased
• ▪Jack Christofides stated on October 19, 2026, that Haitian gangs carried out reprisal killings following security operations and expanded into Kenscoff and the Artibonite region

Casualties and displacement from gang violence

• ▪Gang violence in Haiti displaced nearly 1.5 million people in recent years, killing or injuring more than 5,700 people and kidnapping over 230 from January to mid-September 2026
• ▪Violence across Haiti killed over 21,000 people over the past four years following the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse

Postponement and preparations for Haitian elections

• ▪Haiti's government began reviewing the schedule for its first general election in over a decade, which was originally planned for December 2026
• ▪UN special envoy Carlos Ruiz Massieu stated on October 19, 2026 that electoral preparations in Haiti progressed with over 35 political groups registering 3,500 candidates, expecting elections could occur in 2027 if security permits