Four Salvadoran soldiers missing after gang attack on armoured vehicle in Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti. Four Salvadoran soldiers are missing after gangs attacked their armoured vehicle with explosives and set it on fire in Croix-des-Bouquets, a gang-controlled area of Port-au-Prince.

The soldiers, who were returning to camp, escaped the burning vehicle, and authorities are working with international forces to locate them. Helicopters sent to the area came under fire while trying to disperse armed men.

The incident is the first major attack since the international gang suppression force began operations in Haiti.

"Multiple attempts to approach by land and air have been made, but these have been hampered by the intensity of the fighting," the Salvadoran military said.

Weapons from abroad

Haiti's deputy representative to the United Nations, Wien-Weibert Arthus, told the Security Council that gang weapons and ammunition originate abroad and continue to be smuggled into the country.

"This latest episode is a reminder, as if we really needed one, of the fact that the security challenges in Haiti are complex and complicated," he said. "We hope that those who are missing will be able to go back to their families unscathed."

US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz denounced the attack during a Security Council meeting on Haiti.

Toll of violence

According to the UN, gang violence has forced 1.5 million people from their homes in recent years. Between January and mid-September, more than 5,700 people were killed or injured and over 230 were kidnapped.

Although authorities have reported early signs of declining gang control in some areas, the attack highlights the continuing threat.

Elections ahead

Haiti is preparing for its first general election in more than a decade, with gangs controlling an estimated 70 per cent of Port-au-Prince.

UN envoy Carlos Ruiz Massieu said electoral preparations have advanced significantly, with more than 35 political groups and parties and 3,500 candidates registered.