![Armoured vehicles of the Salvadoran army operate separately from the UN-authorised Gang Suppression Force (GSF) in Haiti, on November 3, 2026 [Patrice Noel/Reuters]](https://angelnetworknews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/reuters_6aebd471-1793840241.jpg "Armoured vehicles of the Salvadoran army operate separately from the UN-authorised Gang Suppression Force (GSF) in Haiti, on November 3, 2026 [Patrice Noel/Reuters]")
Salvadoran troops supporting Haitian police destroyed the headquarters of one of Haiti’s most powerful gangs in an operation near the capital that left 20 people dead, President Nayib Bukele said Tuesday.
Bukele announced on the social media platform X that forces had targeted the 400 Mawozo gang. “We destroyed the house of [gang leader] Lanmo San Jou and the 400 Mawozo gang’s headquarters,” he wrote, referring to the leader also known as Lanmò San Jou or Wilson Joseph.
The right-wing Salvadoran leader shared video footage showing helicopters circling and firing on a site in Croix-des-Bouquets, on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince. The operation took place on Sunday and was carried out by Haitian police with support from Salvadoran troops, according to reports.
The announcement comes as Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime prepares to visit El Salvador next week to discuss the role of the roughly 2,000 Salvadoran troops deployed in the Caribbean nation since mid-October. The deployment followed the disappearance of four Salvadoran personnel in an ambush.
Most of the Salvadoran forces are operating outside the United Nations-authorised Gang Suppression Force, raising questions about their rules of engagement.
Amnesty International called on both governments to ensure all operations by Salvadoran forces in Haiti comply with international human rights law and to make public the agreement governing the deployment.
“Both governments must make public the agreement governing the deployment and explain how they oversee the deployed forces, what rules govern the use of force, to whom they are accountable, and how people can report possible violations without fear of reprisals,” said Ana Piquer, Amnesty’s Americas director.
She urged prompt, independent investigations into any allegations of human rights violations, warning that responses to gang violence must not repeat past patterns of abuse and impunity in Haiti.
Haiti continues to struggle with widespread gang control in parts of Port-au-Prince and beyond, with elections planned for next year after more than a decade without a vote.
