More than 2,000 Salvadoran troops are expected to support the search for four missing aviation technicians and assist operations against armed groups
By The Midtown Times Staff
October 29, 2026
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (Haitian Tribune) — El Salvador plans to deploy more than 2,000 soldiers to Haiti as part of an expanded operation to locate four missing Salvadoran military aviation technicians and support efforts against heavily armed gangs.
The announcement came as Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council postponed the country’s presidential and legislative elections, moving the first round from Dec. 13, 2026, to July 18, 2027.
A second round of voting, along with municipal and local elections, is now scheduled for Oct. 4, 2027. The council said the revised timetable followed consultations with security officials, political organizations, civil-society representatives and the private sector.
The postponement represents another setback in Haiti’s effort to restore elected government. The country has not held national elections since 2016, and the presidency has remained vacant since President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in July 2021.
Search continues for missing Salvadorans
The four Salvadoran technicians disappeared Oct. 18 after armed men reportedly ambushed their vehicle in Croix-des-Bouquets, east of Port-au-Prince.
They had been serving with an international security mission assisting the Haitian National Police. Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele previously dispatched hundreds of soldiers to participate in the search and warned that his government would respond forcefully if the missing personnel were harmed.
Bukele spoke by telephone Wednesday with Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé. According to statements from both governments, the leaders agreed to strengthen security cooperation and intensify efforts to recover the missing technicians.
Haiti’s government said the cooperation would take place within the framework of the United Nations-backed Gang Suppression Force. However, authorities have not clarified whether all of the additional Salvadoran troops will formally join that mission or conduct a separate operation.
Questions also remain about the deployment’s command structure, duration and specific rules of engagement.
Insecurity obstructs election preparations
Armed groups control or influence major roads and large sections of the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, making voter registration and campaign preparations increasingly dangerous.
Fewer than 900,000 people had reportedly registered to vote by Wednesday, although approximately 6.5 million Haitians hold the national identification cards required to enroll.
The electoral council has extended several registration deadlines and introduced online enrollment in an attempt to increase participation. The new calendar calls for candidate lists to be published by mid-January and voter registration to end May 20.
The council said it remains committed to holding inclusive, credible and transparent elections. Whether the security situation will permit voting in July, however, remains uncertain.
Foreign security personnel have operated in Haiti under internationally supported arrangements since 2024. Their mandate includes assisting Haitian police, retaking areas controlled by gangs and helping establish conditions for elections.
Hunger crisis continues to worsen
The security emergency is unfolding alongside a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian crisis.
A new Integrated Food Security Phase Classification assessment found that approximately 5.94 million Haitians—about 53% of the population examined—are experiencing acute food insecurity. Of those, 1.8 million are living under emergency conditions.
The number of people confronting crisis-level hunger or worse is projected to climb to 6.35 million between March and June 2027. Nearly two million could face emergency-level shortages.
Gang violence has displaced families, blocked commercial routes and disrupted farming and food distribution. High prices, economic decline and climate-related shocks have placed additional pressure on vulnerable households.
The World Food Programme said it needs $78 million to sustain its Haiti operations through March. The agency has urged international donors to expand emergency food assistance while supporting farmers and other long-term livelihood programs.
The combination of electoral uncertainty, expanding foreign troop deployments and worsening hunger illustrates the scale of Haiti’s crisis as the country attempts to restore security and return to constitutional government.
The Midtown Times Editorial Board
