President Nayib Bukele is done waiting for the international community to fix the chaos in Haiti. After four Salvadoran air force technicians went missing during an ambush in a gang-controlled sector of Port-au-Prince, Bukele has deployed over 2,000 soldiers to the Caribbean nation to take matters into his own hands.
The mission, which aims to recover the missing personnel, also serves as a direct intervention against the armed gangs that have turned Haiti into a lawless wasteland.
The urgency of the mission was underscored by the incompetence of local Haitian authorities, who attempted to pass off four bodies as the missing servicemen—one of which was a child and another wearing a foreign uniform.
Bukele, who has successfully decimated gang violence in El Salvador through decisive, uncompromising force, has made it clear that he will not tolerate the abduction of his people.
While the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force has struggled to make a dent in the violence that has claimed over 5,700 lives this year, Bukele is signaling that he is prepared to bring his proven, results-oriented security model to the region. The message to the gangs is clear: the era of impunity is over.
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