SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Gangs in Haiti opened fire on an armored vehicle over the weekend, leaving four soldiers from El Salvador unaccounted for in the first major attack since an international gang suppression force began operations in the violence-wracked Caribbean country.
The attack occurred Sunday in Croix-des-Bouquets, a once peaceful community in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, that is now controlled by violent gangs.
The armed forces of El Salvador said in a statement Monday that the four aviation technicians were returning to camp when the armored vehicle was attacked with explosives and set on fire.
It noted that the four men managed to flee the burning vehicle and it's working with international forces to “establish contact and determine the location of our military personnel.”
Salvadoran authorities said that helicopters were dispatched to the area but they, too, came under fire as they dispersed armed men in the area.
“Multiple attempts to approach by land and air have been made, but these have been hampered by the intensity of the fighting,” the Salvadoran military said.
A warning from the U.S.
Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., condemned the attack on Monday at a U.N. Security Council meeting on Haiti.
“We believe the four men survived, but they do remain unaccounted for,” he said. “We will bring you home.”
Waltz said that gangs attacked the armored vehicle with “hundreds of bullets and explosives.”
“To the gangs and gang leaders who carried out this cowardly attack, if you think you’re going to intimidate this coalition into retreat, you have made a terrible mistake,” he said.
The gang suppression force said in a statement that it's assessing the situation and has advised residents where the attack occurred to remain indoors.
“Gangs are testing the gang suppression force,” Jack Christofides, the force’s special representative, said at the U.N. Security Council meeting on Monday as he noted that attacks against the force have recently increased.
He warned that gangs have carried out reprisal killings in some areas following operations by Haitian and international forces, and that they have pushed deeper into places including the community of Kenscoff and the Artibonite region.
“The reality is that we cannot be everywhere at once,” Christofides said.
Haiti prepares for an election despite violence
The area where the armored vehicle was targeted is controlled by gangs including Chèn Méchan; Kraze Barye, led by Vitelhomme Innocent; and 400 Mawozo, led by Lanmo Sanjou. Both gang leaders have been sanctioned by the U.N. and the U.S.
Romain Le Cour, head of the Haiti Observatory at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, said that while some gangs have been under pressure since the gang suppression force was deployed, “others want to show that they can strike back.”
“If these soldiers are indeed being held, the groups gain (an) edge to negotiate and to pressure the security forces,” he said.
In September 2025, the U.N. Security Council authorized a 5,550-member gang suppression force to replace a former Kenya-led multinational force that struggled with a lack of funds and resources as it tried to help Haiti's National Police quell gang violence.
The gang-suppression force has more than 2,000 troops on the ground in Haiti, including soldiers from Chad, Jamaica and Guatemala.
“The force is making a difference with what it has,” Christofides said, adding that authorities have started to see early signs of reduced gang influence and control in certain areas.
Gang violence has displaced nearly 1.5 million people, a record, across Haiti in recent years, with more than 5,700 people killed or injured from January to mid-September, and more than 230 others kidnapped, according to the U.N.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. It comes as Haiti prepares for its first general election in more than a decade and showcases the power of armed gangs that control an estimated 70% of Port-au-Prince.
Carlos Ruiz Massieu, the U.N. special envoy to Haiti, said at Monday’s meeting that electoral preparations “have reached an unprecedented level of progress.”
He said that more than 35 parties and political groups have registered, along with 3,500 candidates. Among them is former Haitian President Michel Martelly, who was sanctioned in November 2022 by Canada and in August 2024 by the U.S., which accused him of facilitating drug trafficking and sponsoring multiple gangs.
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