Why El Salvador Struck a Haitian Gang Headquarters, and What Comes Next

El Salvador's president says his troops have destroyed the headquarters of the 400 Mawozo gang, which he described as one of Haiti's largest criminal organisations. The video describes it as among the largest and most violent criminal gangs in Haiti.

In a social media post, the president boasted that most of the gang members fled without trying to fight. The gang is involved in extortion, kidnappings, murders and arms trafficking.

The video asks why Salvadoran troops are operating so far from home. The reported answer is that the president has waged war on Haiti's gangs because four Salvadorans are being held hostage, and the response was to send in an army.

The Dominican Republic, which shares the Caribbean island with Haiti, says it is collaborating with El Salvador in the fight against the gangs.

According to reports, the Salvadoran special forces operating in Haiti destroyed the headquarters of Wilson Joseph, the leader of 400 Mawozo, described as one of the country's most feared gangs. The operation reportedly involved explosive drones, drops on the ground and four helicopters.

Reports also mention about 20 deaths, but the video notes that details are very difficult to verify. The site is Croix-des-Bouquets, east of the capital, where the gang operates and controls territory.

The operation reportedly happened after the president asked on X for the exact location of the gang leader's house. He received many replies with information, maps and screenshots, and the video says the attack seemingly came after a user had urged him to act.

Haiti has a nearly 400 km border with the Dominican Republic, while El Salvador is around 2,000 km away. El Salvador is part of the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force, but in recent weeks it has also deployed more than 2,000 troops to help rescue four Salvadorans reportedly kidnapped by gangs and members of that international force.

The president warned Haitian gangs that he could wipe them out, as he claimed he did with gangs in El Salvador, if the four kidnapped Salvadorans are not freed. However, the UN says these troops are not part of the international mission, leaving uncertainty over who would be responsible if something goes wrong during operations.

The operation has the backing of Haiti's prime minister, Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, who praised El Salvador's commitment to fighting gangs in his country.

The video notes that Haiti is one of the most violent countries in the world and has suffered years of political instability, a humanitarian crisis triggered by natural disasters, and a surge in gang violence since 2021, when president Jovenel Moïse was assassinated.

Murder, kidnappings and economic chaos followed, and more than 1.5 million people have been forced to flee their homes. People who were already displaced are being displaced again, with families leaving with small children and whatever they can carry.

Basic services like schools and hospitals are struggling to function, and extreme weather events have made the humanitarian situation worse. A devastating earthquake in 2010 killed more than 300,000 people.

The political vacuum has led to gangs taking control of at least 85% of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Many Haitians just want an end to the violence.

The gang targeted in the attack is the 400 Mawozo gang, which the video describes as one of Haiti's most powerful gangs. It is based in the east of the capital and is known for kidnappings, extortion and arms trafficking.

Its leader, Joseph Wilson, alias Lanmò Sanjou, is wanted by the FBI. In 2021 the group kidnapped 17 members of a US-based Christian aid ministry, including five children.

The United Nations has released figures showing that more than a thousand people were killed between July and September. A UN spokesperson, Varan Hack, said deadly violence, food insecurity and flooding in some areas have deepened humanitarian needs.

According to the UN integrated office in Haiti, BINUH, at least 1,167 people were killed and another 459 injured between July and September, as serious human rights violations and abuse continued in Port-au-Prince and other parts of the country. Gang members were responsible for more than 45% of those killed or injured, according to the report. BINUH also documented a sharp increase in kidnappings and hundreds of cases of sexual violence perpetrated by gang members, as well as continued recruitment and exploitation of children.

The United Nations has backed the creation of the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) and called for an end to gang violence. However, the UN's reputation in Haiti is very poor, partly because of the deployment of UN peacekeeping troops until about 2017. Those troops were accused of serious crimes, including the sexual exploitation of minors and introducing cholera to the country by disposing of effluent from a UN camp into a water source.

The GSF is led by African and Central American troops, and the UN is hopeful people can distinguish it from the UN peacekeeping troops, which may help restore some stability to the nation.

Haiti's homicide rate is about 13 times the global average and about three times the average in the Americas, which has one of the highest homicide rates in the world. UN statistics show killings rose from 1,141 people in 2019 to more than 8,000 last year.

Using a population of 12 million, the video compares Haiti with other places: the EU averages about nine homicides a month per 12 million people, India about 19 a month, while Haiti recorded about 600 last year.

The first open question is whether the four abducted Salvadoran airmen will be released or whether they are still alive. The correspondent does not believe this will affect the president's strategy, and says he intends to double down on taking on the gangs in Haiti.

The Dominican Republic has called on the international community to support and formally recognise the president's strategy. There are fears, however, that many communities will be caught in the middle of worsening fighting between Salvadoran troops and the powerful gangs that control much of the country.