Gangs in Haiti opened fire on an armored vehicle over the weekend, leaving four soldiers from El Salvador missing in the first major attack since an international gang suppression force began operating in the violence-stricken Caribbean country. The attack occurred on Sunday in Croix-des-Bouquets, a once peaceful community in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, that is now controlled by violent gangs. El Salvador’s armed forces said in a statement Monday that the four aviation technicians were returning to camp when their armored vehicle was attacked with explosives and set on fire. The military said the four men managed to flee the burning vehicle and is working with international forces to “establish contact and determine the location of our military personnel.” Salvadoran authorities said helicopters were sent to the area, but they too came under fire as they dispersed the gunmen in the area. “Multiple attempts have been made to approach by land and air, but have been hampered by the intensity of the fighting,” the Salvadoran military said. “This latest episode is a reminder, as if we really needed it, of the fact that the security challenges in Haiti are complex and complicated,” he said. “We hope that those who are missing can return unharmed to their families.” 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 kidnapped, according to the U.N. Waltz Warning Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., condemned the attack during the U.N. Security Council meeting. UN on Haiti. “We believe the four men survived, but they are still missing,” he said. “We will take you home.”WATCH | Guterres visits Haitian capital: UN chief visits Haiti as new Gang Suppression Force advances CBC’s Paul Hunter joined UN Secretary-General António Guterres on a visit to Haiti’s dangerous, gang-ridden capital of Port-au-Prince, where a new UN-backed Gang Suppression Force is attempting to quell the violence and restore order. | CORRECTION (June 18, 2026): An earlier version of this video and description called this mission a UN force. In fact, it is a multinational effort supported by the United Nations. Waltz said the 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 are going to intimidate this coalition into leaving, you have made a terrible mistake,” he said. The gang suppression force said in a statement that it is assessing the situation and has advised residents where the attack occurred to stay home. testing the gang suppression force,” Jack Christofides, the force’s special representative, said at the UN on Monday, noting that attacks against the force have increased recently. He warned that gangs have carried out retaliatory killings in some areas following operations by Haitian and international forces, and that they have penetrated deeper into places such as the Kenscoff community and the Artibonite region. “The reality is that we cannot be everywhere at the same time,” Christofides said. Haiti prepares for an election The area where the armored vehicle was attacked is controlled by gangs such as Chèn Méchan, Kraze Barye and 400 Mawozo. An armored vehicle from the gang suppression force is seen patrolling in the Tabarre neighborhood of Port-au-Prince on Monday. (Odelyn Joseph/The Associated Press) Romain Le Cour, head of the Haiti Observatory of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, said that while some gangs have been under pressure. since the suppression force was deployed, “others want to show that they can fight back.” “If these soldiers are actually detained, the groups gain (an) advantage in negotiating and putting pressure on the security forces,” he said. A former Kenyan-led multinational force that was struggling with a lack of funds and resources while trying to help the Haitian National Police quell gang violence. The gang suppression force has more than 2,000 soldiers on the ground in Haiti, including soldiers from. Chad, Jamaica and Guatemala “The force is making a difference with what it has,” said Christofides, adding that authorities have begun to see early signs of a reduction in gang influence and control in certain areas. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack on Salvadoran troops. It comes as Haiti prepares for its first general elections in more than a decade and shows the power of the gangs that control about 70 percent of Port-au-Prince. of the UN to Haiti, said at Monday’s meeting that electoral preparations “have reached an unprecedented level of progress.” He said that more than 35 political parties and groups have registered, along with 3,500 candidates. Among them is former Haitian president Michel Martelly, sanctioned in November 2022 by Canada and in August 2024 by the United States, which accused him of facilitating drug trafficking and sponsoring multiple gangs.
