'We cannot live in our own country': Haitians welcome Bukele's forces after gang crackdown
Haitian and Salvadoran security forces have regained control of Sylvio Cator Stadium in Port-au-Prince, removing armed gangs that had occupied Haiti's main sports venue since 2024.
The operation, carried out on Thursday, involved the Haitian National Police, Haitian Armed Forces, Salvadoran special forces and a private security group known as Task Force, which works with the Haitian government.
Footage filmed on Saturday shows Salvadoran soldiers patrolling streets in Port-au-Prince as residents expressed hope that the intervention would help restore security and freedom of movement in the country.
"If [the President of El Salvador, Nayib] Bukele wants to help us as a people, we will not know what to offer him as a gift in thanks for his help," said resident Venet Dermogene, who has been displaced by gang violence.
"We Haitians do not know what sin we are paying for. We are heirs to the land of Haiti, but we cannot live in it. I am originally from the city of Jeremie. I left there in 1992, when I was still a child," he recounted.
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Dermogene blamed members of Vin Ansanm, a coalition of armed gangs formed in September 2023, for the insecurity affecting his life and property.
"The thieves of Viv Ansanm stole 41 pigs from me, and I lost seven homes in the Wharf Jeremie and Carrefour-Feuilles areas. I am currently stripped of everything, on the street, and I do not know what to do," he alleged.
He also expressed support for Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele's involvement in efforts to combat armed groups in Haiti.
"If [Nayib] Bukele really wants to be of help to us, he will not be alone; we will all stand by his side to fight those wrongdoers in ties and in sandals," he said.
Other displaced residents called for improved security and the restoration of their freedom to travel within the country.
"I need justice. I need freedom in the country. I need to be free in my own country so that I can travel when I want," said another resident.
The operation follows the deployment of approximately 2,000 Salvadoran troops to Haiti since late October.
The deployment came after four Salvadoran aviation technicians disappeared following an ambush by armed groups on October 18.
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This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
