Dominican Republic backs Salvadoran troops operating in Haiti

Abinader said the Dominican Republic is working with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele’s government and urged the multinational gang-suppression force in Haiti to coordinate with Salvadoran troops. He said the defense ministers of the two countries speak nearly every day. A spokesperson for Abinader did not detail the assistance provided.

The troops were sent to Haiti after four aviation technicians were attacked on October 18 in gang-controlled territory. They remain missing. Salvadoran and Haitian forces recently attacked the home and headquarters of Wilson Joseph, leader of the 400 Mawozo gang. Joseph was not killed. Bukele praised the operation in a post on X.

The U.N.-backed force said it coordinates with Haitian authorities and international partners, and that its work follows its mandate, command arrangements, rules of engagement and human-rights obligations. Haitian police and soldiers are also fighting gangs alongside that force and a private security company founded by Erik Prince. The Salvadoran deployment has drawn scrutiny because it operates largely outside the multinational force’s structure.

Amnesty International called on Bukele and Haiti’s prime minister to ensure the operations comply with international human-rights law. It also urged the governments to disclose the deployment agreement and explain oversight, rules for using force and how people can report potential abuses.

Experts described Haiti’s security environment as crowded and coordination among forces as unclear. They noted that civilians have died in anti-gang operations and questioned whether El Salvador can sustain the costly deployment. Haiti’s prime minister, Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, plans to travel to El Salvador next week to discuss the troops’ future. Abinader also said the Dominican Republic would continue monitoring its border with Haiti using drones, soldiers and armored vehicles.

Haiti’s Salvadoran deployment needs oversight, not open-ended backing

Dominican President Luis Abinader says his government is supplying logistics and intelligence to El Salvador’s roughly 2,500 troops in Haiti and wants the U.N.-backed gang-suppression force to coordinate with them. The deployment, however, operates largely outside that force’s framework, raising questions about who directs the operation and how it is held accountable.

Amnesty International urged El Salvador’s president and Haiti’s prime minister to ensure the troops follow international human-rights law. It called for the deployment agreement to be made public, along with details on oversight, rules for using force and how Haitians can report possible abuses safely.

Haiti already has police and soldiers fighting gangs alongside the multinational force and a private security company founded by Erik Prince. Experts say the security landscape is crowded, coordination mechanisms are unclear, civilians have died in anti-gang attacks, and El Salvador’s costly pace may be difficult to maintain. Support for an operation cannot substitute for safeguards and a workable command structure.

The Salvadoran troops arrived after four aviation technicians were attacked on October 18 in gang-controlled territory; they remain missing. A recent operation by Haitian police and Salvadoran troops destroyed the home and headquarters of 400 Mawozo leader Wilson Joseph, who survived. Haiti’s prime minister, Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, is expected in El Salvador next week to discuss the deployment’s future.

Regional partners rally behind troops confronting Haiti’s gangs

As gangs threaten Haiti’s security, Dominican President Luis Abinader is backing El Salvador’s effort on the ground, saying his government provides logistics and intelligence to the roughly 2,500 Salvadoran troops. He called on the multinational gang-suppression force to work with them, while the Dominican and Salvadoran defense ministers speak nearly every day.

The deployment followed an October 18 attack on four aviation technicians in gang-controlled territory. They remain missing. Haitian police and Salvadoran troops have also struck the home and headquarters of 400 Mawozo leader Wilson Joseph, who was not killed. Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele praised that operation.

The multinational force says it coordinates with Haitian authorities and international partners and operates under its mandate, rules of engagement and human-rights obligations. Haiti’s security effort also includes Haitian police and soldiers and a private security company founded by Erik Prince. The U.N.-backed force should coordinate with the Salvadoran troops, as Abinader has urged, rather than leave separate forces working at cross-purposes.

Experts say Haiti’s security picture is complex and warn that the Salvadoran effort is expensive and may be hard to sustain. Amnesty International has called for human-rights protections and public disclosure of the deployment agreement. Haiti’s prime minister, Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, is set to travel to El Salvador next week to discuss the troops’ future.