Haitians Take to the Streets to Thank Nayib Bukele and El Salvador’s Troops
by Christian K. Caruzo
Hundreds of Haitian citizens over the weekend marched through the streets of Port-au-Prince and other towns to express their support for President Nayib Bukele and the Salvadoran troops deployed to the country to fight the deadly local gangs.
Over 2,000 Salvadoran troops remain deployed in Haiti since late October to support an ongoing U.N.-endorsed security operation against the nation’s deadly gangs. President Bukele deployed the additional troops in response to the ambush and disappearance of four Salvadoran aircraft technicians, who remain missing since October 18. Bukele has threatened to “destroy” the gangs should the four missing men not be safely returned.
The Spanish news agency EFE detailed that numerous Haitians who have been victims of the rampant gang violence that engulfed the nation marched on Friday to express their gratitude to Bukele and to request that the Salvadoran president intensify operations against the deadly gangs. Per the news agency, some of the protesters held up banners with messages thanking Bukele, while others chanted, “Lè yo wè Bukele, kè yo sote” during the demonstration, which translates to “When they [the gangs] see Bukele, they get scared.”
Similarly, other participants chanted, “Rele Bukele pou mwen, m ap mouri,” which translates to “Call Bukele for me, I’m dying.”
A woman who participated in the Port-au-Prince rally reportedly stated amid tears that she had been kicked out of her house by the gangs.
“I used to run a business and was able to send my children to school, but they stole everything from me, even my underwear, and I fled naked with my children,” the unidentified woman said.
Another woman told EFE that the gang violence forced her to abandon her residence in August 2023 and she has been living at a refugee camp since then. The woman detailed that the gangs have burned down homes and thrown people to the streets “like dogs.”
“Bukele, Haiti belongs to you. If you don’t speed up the operations, we’ll die. You must keep going until you eradicate the gangs, until you destroy those evil people who have killed our children and are killing our husbands,” the other woman reportedly said.
Per Le Nouvelliste, similar demonstrations took place in the towns of Jérémie, Thomonde, Mirebalais, and Jacmel. Throughout the peaceful protests, the newspaper detailed, some of the participants denounced the Haitian authorities and accused them of having “done nothing” to fight the Haitian gangs over the past years. The Brooklyn-based Haitian Times noted that some among the participants expressed that they have lost confidence in the local authorities and are instead “placing their hopes” in Bukele and the deployed Salvadoran forces — calling for the president to “unlock the country” and intervene in gang-controlled communities.