The U.N.-backed Gang Suppression Force says its personnel exchanged gunfire with suspected gang members. The soldiers’ whereabouts remain unknown.
By The Haitian Tribune Staff
October 19, 2026
PORT-AU-PRINCE — Five Salvadoran soldiers assigned to Haiti’s U.N.-backed Gang Suppression Force were reported missing Sunday after their vehicle came under attack in Santo, a community north of the capital, according to people familiar with the incident.
One soldier reportedly radioed that the group was being attacked and that he had been wounded. No contact with the five was reported afterward. Their disappearance raised concerns they may have been taken, but officials had not confirmed an abduction.
The soldiers were in a gang-controlled area near Croix-des-Bouquets. Two people familiar with the incident identified the area as being controlled by a gang known as “Chien Méchant,” or “Vicious Dog.” The 400 Mawozo gang, which has been linked to kidnappings, also operates in the region.
The Gang Suppression Force said a vehicle carrying some of its personnel was attacked and that its members exchanged gunfire with suspected gang members. It said security operations were continuing and urged residents to remain indoors while the situation was assessed.
Other members of the force were searching for the missing soldiers, one person familiar with the response said. The Haitian National Police said it did not have information about the incident. Residents posted reports of gunfire and increased helicopter activity on social media.
It was unclear why the Salvadoran personnel were in the area. The neighborhood is considered a restricted high-risk zone, where U.N. and diplomatic personnel are generally prohibited from traveling without armored vehicles and weapons. El Salvador’s contingent operates a helicopter unit that provides transportation and logistical support.
The five are part of a multinational mission formed to help Haiti confront armed groups. The force has more than 2,000 personnel from Chad, El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mongolia and Sri Lanka. Its planned strength is 5,500, and its mandate is designed to give it greater independence from Haitian police, including authority to make arrests.
The mission was created after an earlier international security deployment failed to contain gang violence. Haiti has recorded more than 22,000 deaths linked to gang violence since 2021. U.N. figures cited in the report show at least 138 people were kidnapped during the first half of 2026.
Jack Christofides, the force’s special representative in Haiti, said last month that the mission was still short of its target but had begun disrupting gang activities, including extortion. He said attacks on the force suggested that armed groups viewed its operations as a threat to their revenue, while acknowledging that much work remained.
The security crisis has repeatedly delayed national elections, which Haiti has not held in a decade. The disappearance of the five soldiers underscores the risks facing the international force as it operates in areas where armed groups maintain control.
The incident details were first reported by The New York Times, citing three people familiar with the situation.
The Haitian Tribune Newsroom
