{"id":27851,"date":"2026-11-03T21:13:25","date_gmt":"2026-11-03T21:13:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/11\/03\/haitis-prime-minister-fils-aime-speaks-out-as-concerns-over-el-salvadors-troops-deepen-wsls\/"},"modified":"2026-11-03T21:13:25","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T21:13:25","slug":"haitis-prime-minister-fils-aime-speaks-out-as-concerns-over-el-salvadors-troops-deepen-wsls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/11\/03\/haitis-prime-minister-fils-aime-speaks-out-as-concerns-over-el-salvadors-troops-deepen-wsls\/","title":{"rendered":"Haiti&#039;s prime minister Fils-Aim\u00e9 speaks out as concerns over El Salvador&#039;s troops deepen &#8211; WSLS"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>D\u00e1nica Coto And Evens Sanon<br \/>Associated Press<br \/>Published:\u00a0<time datetime=\"2026-11-03T20:35:36.000Z\">November 3, 2026 at 3:35 PM<\/time><br \/>D\u00e1nica Coto And Evens Sanon<br \/>Associated Press<br \/>Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All right reserved<br \/>A soldiers from El Salvador looks out from a convoy of armored vehicles carrying military personnel in the Tabarre neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. (AP Photo\/Odelyn Joseph)<br \/><strong>PORT-AU-PRINCE<\/strong> \u2013 Haiti\u2019s prime minister spoke publicly on Tuesday for the first time since four Salvadoran aviation technicians went missing last month, prompting El Salvador to deploy more than 2,000 troops to the troubled Caribbean country as <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/lanmo-sanjou-letter-un-gang-violence-wilson-josph-374dfb531e5c919c3139649c7d63cefe\">scrutiny over their operations<\/a> intensifies.<br \/>Alix Didier Fils-Aim\u00e9 said <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/haiti\">Haiti<\/a>, which is battling powerful gangs, is responsible for the direction of foreign forces in his country.<br \/>Recommended Videos<br \/>\u201cThe international force is not here to replace the state,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re here to support us.\u201d<br \/>Fils-Aim\u00e9 was flanked from behind by an army colonel from El Salvador, a leader of the <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/un-haiti-gangs-international-force-us-panama-3be47fe0bd29b125b7fa00d67df26907\">U.N.-backed gang suppression force<\/a>, and officials from Haiti\u2019s army and police. It appeared to be a show of unity as concerns grow about Salvadoran troops acting unilaterally.<br \/>Gangs have grown in power since the <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/haiti-president-jovenel-moise-killed-b56a0f8fec0832028bdc51e8d59c6af2\">assassination of President Jovenel Mo\u00efse<\/a> in 2021. They now <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/un-haiti-gangs-capital-violence-government-kenya-c14dd55725e2e415b794ab88b4184e65\">control 70% of the capital<\/a>, Port-au-Prince, and have expanded their activities, including looting, kidnapping, sexual assaults and rape, <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/haiti-state-of-emergency-gangs-west-artibonite-5afeb9b859928436eaf4c362fbb91489\">into the countryside<\/a>. Haiti has not had a president since the assassination.<br \/>Concerns grow about role of El Salvador&#8217;s troops in Haiti<br \/>Fils-Aim\u00e9 thanked El Salvador&#8217;s President <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/nayib-bukele\">Nayib Bukele<\/a> in his brief speech.<br \/>\u201cHe understands our fight,\u201d he said, referring to Bukele\u2019s ongoing battle against violent gangs in El Salvador. \u201cHe came to stand on the side of the Haitian people.\u201d<br \/>But a source familiar with on-the-ground operations in Haiti who was not authorized to talk publicly about the situation told The Associated Press on Tuesday that up until <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/haiti-gangs-salvador-attack-military-dd5d4b617fc526d3f7d994274732fc7e\">the Oct. 18 attack<\/a> against the Salvadoran technicians, El Salvador had not signed an agreement with the U.N. It also did not have a protection agreement with Haiti\u2019s government or a memorandum of understanding with the Dominican Republic to medevac injured personnel of the U.N.-backed gang suppression force.<br \/>Damian Merlo, a lobbyist for El Salvador&#8217;s government, asserted that the country&#8217;s forces are closely coordinating with the gang suppression force and Fils-Aim\u00e9&#8217;s office. He declined to clarify who the Salvadoran troops were reporting to or provide more details on operations, adding that \u201cthe only ones operating outside international law are the gangs.\u201d<br \/>Up until the attack, the primary role of the roughly 200 Salvadorans in Haiti was to assist medically. Meanwhile, the whereabouts and operations of the recently deployed Salvadoran troops remained murky.<br \/>Haiti embraces foreign forces<br \/>Fils-Aim\u00e9 said the government\u2019s priorities are to reestablish security across Haiti and <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/haiti-elections-el-salvador-troops-gang-violence-3c24fe0b0134ea2b41b48fc80457215d\">hold elections<\/a>. \u201cWe have entered into a decisive stage,\u201d he said.<br \/>The <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/haiti-presidential-council-steps-down-us-prime-minister-ab6bc808fc31833038638a76a667d7ed\">prime minister<\/a> spoke a day after the U.N. said that most of El Salvador\u2019s personnel in Haiti are not operating under the framework of the U.N.-backed gang suppression force. U.N. officials underscored the importance of complying with international law.<br \/>\u201cPeople\u2019s rights need to be respected as you conduct security operations,\u201d U.N. spokesman St\u00e9phane Dujarric told reporters Tuesday.<br \/>The prime minister said the international force came to help support Haiti and \u201cuproot gangs,\u201d adding that more than 1,000 new police officers just graduated from training, and that he hopes to see 4,000 new police officers and 15,000 new soldiers join the fight against gangs.<br \/>The prime minister said security operations have been launched in places including Kenscoff, Gressier and l\u2019Artibonite, which <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/haiti-kenscoff-rnddh-report-gangs-40d9166cea8386acd8f211569badaba1\">have faced brutal gang violence<\/a> in recent years.<br \/>\u201cWe are leading this fight with determination against the gangs to eradicate them,\u201d Fils-Aim\u00e9 said. \u201cWith reinforcement, the gangs won\u2019t have time to sleep. \u2026 Every armed group that is causing terror in the country, your time has almost expired.\u201d<br \/>More than 5,700 people have been killed or injured across Haiti from January to mid-September, according to the U.N.<br \/>Salvadoran troops come under scrutiny<br \/>Experts and those involved in Haiti\u2019s security operations are raising questions about how the recently deployed Salvadoran troops are operating and what role they\u2019re playing.<br \/>\u201cWe still do not know the terms of the agreement with the Haitian government, who commands these troops, under which rules of engagement, or for how long,\u201d said Romain Le Cour, head of the Haiti Observatory at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.<br \/>\u201cIn a dense urban environment where civilians are trapped between the lines, those questions will determine who answers should things potentially go wrong,\u201d he said. \u201cThe risk, as things stand, is a lack of transparency and no one taking responsibility.\u201d<br \/>Le Cour said the actions of El Salvador could set a damaging precedent for multilateral missions: \u201cGovernments may conclude that the risks of joining are rising while the political rewards go to those who act alone.\u201d<br \/>Le Cour noted that five structures are currently operating on the ground in Haiti: the country\u2019s police and army, the gang suppression force and a task force working with <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/haiti-erik-prince-contractors-gang-violence-police-8b354f3e085b927b30b6877b5b98e7a5\">Vectus Global<\/a>, the private security firm founded by former U.S. Navy SEAL and Blackwater founder Erik Prince.<br \/>\u201cEach with its own mandate and rules, and no common plan,\u201d he said. \u201cHaiti\u2019s security response is already an orchestra without a conductor.\u201d<br \/>Gang-penned letter to UN attracts attention<br \/>Haiti\u2019s prime minister held the press conference a day after one of Haiti\u2019s most powerful gang leaders told AP that he wrote the U.N. secretary-general requesting that the organization send a delegation to Haiti for dialogue and mediation amid fears that the arrival of Salvadoran troops could escalate the violence.<br \/>\u201cThe letter shows that the pressure is being felt, and potentially a strategic move to reduce exposure and gain recognition,\u201d Le Cour said.<br \/>On Tuesday, the U.N. issued a statement saying it has previously directly received communications from people including those subject to U.N. sanctions: \u201cReceiving such communications does not imply recognition, endorsement, or any change in the status of the individual concerned under the relevant sanction regime.&#8221;<br \/>It\u2019s unclear if U.N. Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres plans to respond to the letter sent via email from the leader of the 400 Mawozo gang.<br \/>___<br \/>Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Associated Press reporter Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations and Megan Janetsky in Mexico City contributed to this report.<br \/>Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. 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All right reservedA soldiers from El Salvador looks out from a convoy of armored vehicles carrying military personnel in the Tabarre neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. (AP Photo\/Odelyn Joseph)PORT-AU-PRINCE \u2013 Haiti\u2019s prime [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27852,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27851","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27851","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27851"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27851\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27852"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27851"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27851"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27851"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}