Guatemala Deploys More Troops to Haiti Amid Security Crisis

Guatemala has dispatched additional military personnel to Haiti to strengthen an international security mission combating armed gangs, with the deployment announced on Sunday, October 18, as four Salvadoran military personnel remained missing following an attack on their armored vehicle near Port-au-Prince. The contingent will join the United Nations-authorized Gang Suppression Force (GSF), which is working to improve security in the Caribbean nation. The Guatemalan military said members of its 2nd Military Police Unit would participate in international security operations.

The departure ceremony took place at La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City, at a Guatemalan Air Force base, under the supervision of National Defense Minister Major General Henry David Sáenz Ramos. The US military attaché accredited to Guatemala also attended the ceremony. Although Guatemala's military did not disclose the contingent's size or expected arrival date, Spanish news agency EFE reported that more than 50 personnel were included in the deployment.

The additional deployment supports President Bernardo Arévalo de León's previously announced target of sending 300 Guatemalan military personnel to Haiti. Guatemala is among the countries contributing personnel to the international force, alongside El Salvador and Jamaica.

The GSF had more than 2,000 troops deployed in Haiti by October, according to the Associated Press. Its first progress report to the United Nations recorded 1,213 uniformed personnel as of August 31, including 150 Guatemalan military police officers and 20 Jamaican personnel. The force is authorized to deploy up to 5,500 uniformed personnel with support from international partners. It replaced the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support mission and has conducted patrols and security operations in areas including Tabarre and Cité Soleil, as well as establishing a presence in Gonaïves outside the capital.

The deployment coincided with a serious security incident involving four Salvadoran aviation technicians serving with the GSF under El Salvador's Task Force Libertad II. The personnel disappeared on Sunday after armed groups attacked their armored vehicle in Croix-des-Bouquets, an area near Port-au-Prince controlled by gangs. According to El Salvador's armed forces, the technicians were returning to their camp when attackers used explosives and set their vehicle on fire. The four escaped the burning vehicle, but their whereabouts remained unknown as of Monday.

Salvadoran authorities dispatched helicopters to search for the missing personnel, but the aircraft also came under fire. Efforts to reach the area by land and air were hindered by intense fighting, complicating the search operation. The attack marked the first major assault on international personnel since the GSF began operations in Haiti earlier in the year.

The force said it was assessing the situation and advised residents in the affected area to remain indoors. The security mission faces continued challenges as armed gangs threaten civilians, restrict movement and undermine efforts to restore state authority. The United Nations has reported that gang violence has displaced nearly 1.5 million people in Haiti.

Figures cited by the Associated Press showed that more than 5,700 people were killed or injured between January and mid-September, while more than 230 others were kidnapped. Haiti is also preparing for its first general election in more than a decade, with international security support intended to help establish safer conditions for the electoral process and the restoration of public authority.