Salvadoran soldiers destroy 400 Mawozo gang headquarters in Haiti
Military forces from El Salvador conducted an aerial operation to destroy the headquarters of the 400 Mawozo gang in Haiti, according to President Nayib Bukele. More than 2,000 Salvadoran soldiers have been operating in the country since late October to combat gang violence.
Operation against 400 Mawozo
According to France 24 - France, El Salvador's president Nayib Bukele announced that his troops destroyed the headquarters of the 400 Mawozo gang, one of Haiti's main criminal organisations. The operation took place on Sunday in the municipality of Croix-des-Bouquets, east of Port-au-Prince. Videos published by Bukele in Haitian Creole show at least three Salvadoran helicopters firing on the building as people fled the scene.
The targeted building belonged to Wilson Joseph, alias Lanmò San Jou, leader of the 400 Mawozo gang known for kidnappings and extortion. According to the American newspaper Miami Herald, citing anonymous sources, at least 20 people were killed in the operation. The pro-government newspaper Diario El Salvador reported that Joseph was not in the building at the time of the assault.
Salvadoran deployment in Haiti
More than 2,000 Salvadoran military personnel have been deployed in Haiti since late October, initially to locate four Salvadoran soldiers reported missing following a gang attack near Port-au-Prince. This operation against 400 Mawozo constitutes the first large-scale attack carried out by these troops since their arrival. The attack was launched following a request from a social media user on X addressed to President Bukele.
Regional political support
Haiti's Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé praised the commitment of Salvadoran forces in the fight against gangs. Dominican President Luis Abinader stated on Tuesday that the Dominican Republic supports the action of Salvadoran military forces and cooperates on logistical and intelligence matters. Abinader nevertheless stressed that the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) and the Salvadoran military must better coordinate their actions.
Questions of legitimacy
The United Nations clarified that the majority of Salvadoran personnel deployed in Haiti do not operate under the mandate of the GSF, which is supported by the UN. Their operations take place outside the organisation's monitoring mechanisms. On Monday, Amnesty International urged the governments of El Salvador and Haiti to publish the agreement governing the deployment and to ensure that operations against gangs respect human rights.
In 2021, the 400 Mawozo gang kidnapped 16 American missionaries and one Canadian. In early November, gang leader Joseph sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General asking him to suspend the deployment of Salvadoran soldiers.
Source: France 24 - France