Tag: Jamaica

The Caribbean
Haiti

Salvadoran troops to Haiti

El Salvador has sent at least 1,000 soldiers to Haiti as part of a mission to rescue four Salvadoran members of the UN-authorized Gang Suppression Force (GSF) who went missing after being ambushed by gunmen. Days after the attack, El Salvador’s strongman President Nayib Bukele posted a message to social media in Haitian Creole, demanding their release and announcing a military operation; he also threatened the gangs with further escalation, vowing that “today’s attack is nothing compared to what is coming” if the hostages are not released alive. (Map: CIA World Factbook via Wikimedia Commons)

The Caribbean

Haiti gangs profit from mission delay

Port-au-PrinceThe continually delayed deployment of a Kenya-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission has raised concerns over how prepared the UN-approved and US-bankrolled force will be to face the security crisis in Haiti. The violent gangs that now control most of Port-au-Prince have posted direct threats to the MSS force and paraded their heavy weaponry on social media. Amid reports of a large inventory of Colombian weapons being trafficked to Haitian gangs, some experts worry that the firepower of the gangs has been underestimated. One analysis warns that the gangs are exploiting the delays to "fortify what could be a fierce response." (Photo: Haiti Liberte)