Haiti's prime minister Fils-Aimé speaks out as concerns over El Salvador's troops deepen

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s 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 scrutiny over their operations intensifies.

Alix Didier Fils-Aimé said Haiti , which is battling powerful gangs, is responsible for the direction of foreign forces in his country.

“The international force is not here to replace the state,” he said. “They’re here to support us.”

Fils-Aimé was flanked from behind by an army colonel from El Salvador, a leader of the U.N.-backed gang suppression force , and officials from Haiti’s army and police. It appeared to be a show of unity as concerns grow about Salvadoran troops acting unilaterally.

Gangs have grown in power since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021. They now control 70% of the capital , Port-au-Prince, and have expanded their activities, including looting, kidnapping, sexual assaults and rape, into the countryside . Haiti has not had a president since the assassination.

Fils-Aimé thanked El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele in his brief speech.

“He understands our fight,” he said, referring to Bukele’s ongoing battle against violent gangs in El Salvador. “He came to stand on the side of the Haitian people.”

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 the Oct. 18 attack 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’s government or a memorandum of understanding with the Dominican Republic to medevac injured personnel of the U.N.-backed gang suppression force.

Damian Merlo, a lobbyist for El Salvador's government, asserted that the country's forces are closely coordinating with the gang suppression force and Fils-Aimé's office. He declined to clarify who the Salvadoran troops were reporting to or provide more details on operations, adding that “the only ones operating outside international law are the gangs.”

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.

Fils-Aimé said the government’s priorities are to reestablish security across Haiti and hold elections . “We have entered into a decisive stage,” he said.

The prime minister spoke a day after the U.N. said that most of El Salvador’s 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.

“People’s rights need to be respected as you conduct security operations,” U.N. spokesman Stéphane Dujarric told reporters Tuesday.

The prime minister said the international force came to help support Haiti and “uproot gangs,” 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.

The prime minister said security operations have been launched in places including Kenscoff, Gressier and l’Artibonite, which have faced brutal gang violence in recent years.

“We are leading this fight with determination against the gangs to eradicate them,” Fils-Aimé said. “With reinforcement, the gangs won’t have time to sleep. … Every armed group that is causing terror in the country, your time has almost expired.”

More than 5,700 people have been killed or injured across Haiti from January to mid-September, according to the U.N.

Experts and those involved in Haiti’s security operations are raising questions about how the recently deployed Salvadoran troops are operating and what role they’re playing.

“We 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,” said Romain Le Cour, head of the Haiti Observatory at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.

“In a dense urban environment where civilians are trapped between the lines, those questions will determine who answers should things potentially go wrong,” he said. “The risk, as things stand, is a lack of transparency and no one taking responsibility.”

Le Cour said the actions of El Salvador could set a damaging precedent for multilateral missions: “Governments may conclude that the risks of joining are rising while the political rewards go to those who act alone.”

Le Cour noted that five structures are currently operating on the ground in Haiti: the country’s police and army, the gang suppression force and a task force working with Vectus Global , the private security firm founded by former U.S. Navy SEAL and Blackwater founder Erik Prince.

“Each with its own mandate and rules, and no common plan,” he said. “Haiti’s security response is already an orchestra without a conductor.”

Haiti’s prime minister held the press conference a day after one of Haiti’s 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.

“The letter shows that the pressure is being felt, and potentially a strategic move to reduce exposure and gain recognition,” Le Cour said.

On Tuesday, the U.N. issued a statement saying it has previously directly received communications from people including those subject to U.N. sanctions: “Receiving such communications does not imply recognition, endorsement, or any change in the status of the individual concerned under the relevant sanction regime."

It’s unclear if U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres plans to respond to the letter sent via email from the leader of the 400 Mawozo gang.

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.