Bukele Defends Salvadoran Troops in Haiti Against Allegations of Civilian Attacks
"Our mission doesn't even have bombs at its disposal," Bukele wrote on X, questioning how the alleged strikes could have occurred before Salvadoran attack helicopters arrived in the country.
He said the helicopters reached Haiti on Oct. 29, a day before the allegations were published by Drop Site News, and had not conducted any missions as of Saturday.
Bukele added that their arrival had received extensive media coverage and was documented through videos and social media posts.
The accusations were detailed in an open letter sent by the United Nations Association-Haiti (UNA-Haiti) to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Oct. 30. The organization alleged that Salvadoran forces had carried out aerial bombardments, helicopter gunship attacks and heavy-weapons operations in densely populated areas around the capital, Port-au-Prince.
The locations named in the letter included Croix-des-Bouquets, Canaan and La Plaine du Cul-de-Sac. UNA-Haiti called for an investigation into reported civilian casualties, alleging that children were being killed by foreign forces rather than armed gangs.
Bukele dismissed the claims, accusing non-governmental organizations of circulating misinformation and attempting to influence international institutions.
He characterized these organizations as lobbying groups representing criminal gangs while presenting themselves as humanitarian bodies.
El Salvador sent troops to Haiti after a gang ambush on Oct. 18 left four Salvadoran aviation technicians serving with a UN-backed force missing. Bukele described the deployment as an operation aimed at rescuing the personnel.
The allegations of aerial attacks have not been independently verified.
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