Four Salvadoran soldiers from a UN-backed gang suppression force missing after ambush in Croix-des-Bouquets. Gangs attacked an armored vehicle, fired, and set it on fire, triggering search for missing.

Ambush in Croix-des-Bouquets

Gangs in Haiti opened fire on an armored vehicle in Croix-des-Bouquets, leaving four soldiers from El Salvador unaccounted for after the vehicle was attacked with explosives and set on fire. El Salvador’s armed forces said the four aviation technicians were returning to camp when the armored vehicle was attacked, and the men managed to flee the burning vehicle while the military worked with international forces to “establish contact and determine the location of our military personnel.”

The gang suppression force said it was assessing the situation and advised residents where the attack occurred to remain indoors, while the area was controlled by gangs including Kraze Barye, led by Vitelhomme Innocent, and 400 Mawozo, led by Lanmo Sanjou. Romain Le Cour, head of the Haiti Observatory at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, said that while some gangs had been under pressure since the gang suppression force was deployed, “others want to show that they can strike back.”

UN meeting and official condemnations

Egriselda Lopez condemned the ambush at a UNSC meeting on Haiti, saying the criminal groups used firearms and explosive devices, setting the vehicle on fire. Mike Waltz told the Security Council that “We believe the four men survived, but they do remain unaccounted for,” and he added, “We will bring you home.”

Jack Christofides said the gang suppression force was assessing the situation and warned that “Gangs are testing the gang suppression force,” while he also said the force could not be everywhere at once. Carlos Ruiz Massieu told the UNSC that between July and September more than a thousand people were killed and over 100 abducted as a result of gang violence, and he warned that security gains alone could not deliver lasting peace.

What comes next for the force

The gang suppression force said it had advised residents to stay indoors after the attack, and it continued deploying personnel while it sought to locate the missing Salvadorans.

Jack Christofides told the Security Council that the force had deployed over 2,000 personnel from six countries, while the mission remained well below its authorised strength and needed equipment, logistics and funding to expand operations.

The U.N. Security Council authorized a 5,550-member gang suppression force in September 2025 to replace a former Kenya-led multinational force, and the attack was expected to dominate the conversation as the Council scheduled a meeting about Haiti.

The attack also unfolded as Haiti prepared for its first general elections in more than a decade, with Carlos Ruiz Massieu warning that repeated announcements of electoral dates without a true assessment of credibility and feasibility only served to weaken credibility with Haitian institutions.