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Haiti's prime minister praised El Salvador's forces after a joint strike on a property allegedly used by the leader of the 400 Mawozo gang. Local media reported as many as 20 people were killed.
Haiti's Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé has praised "the commitment of the Salvadorean forces in the fight against gangs" after a joint strike on a house allegedly used by the leader of the 400 Mawozo gang.
El Salvador's President, Nayib Bukele, announced that a joint task force had "destroyed" what he described as "the house of Lanmò San Jou and the 400 Mawozo gang's headquarters". Bukele's post on X was accompanied by video of several helicopters firing on a large complex. As the helicopters circle above, dozens of people can be seen running out of the property, fleeing the strikes.
Writing in Creole, Bukele said "we kept our promise", adding that the alleged gang members "ran away without even trying to fight".
Local media reported that as many as 20 people were killed in the strike, which they said was carried out in the early hours of Sunday. They also reported that Lanmò San Jou, whose real name is Wilson Joseph, was not at the property at the time of the attack.
A small contingent of Salvadorean troops has been in Haiti since January 2025 as part of a multinational force deployed to suppress gang violence. Last month, Bukele sent an extra 2,000 soldiers to rescue four Salvadoreans who have been missing since they were ambushed on 18 October.
Posting on X on Tuesday, Fils-Aimé thanked the Salvadorean military's commitment "in the fight against gangs" and said the two nations would keep working together, along with the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force (GSF), to "regain control of the territory and restore state authority". "THE GANGS WILL GET NO SLEEP!" he added.
The BBC has not been able to verify the video posted by Bukele, nor whether the property is indeed the headquarters of the 400 Mawozo, Haiti's largest criminal gang, which is infamous for carrying out kidnappings for ransom.
Bukele's decision to send thousands of additional troops to Haiti since their abduction has raised concerns with critics who say they are not all working within the command structure of the GSF. It has also raised questions about the operational legitimacy and legality of their actions in the Caribbean nation.
Amnesty International has urged both countries to "ensure all operations conducted by Salvadorean forces in Haiti comply with international human rights law".
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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