Haitians March in Support of Bukele

Arthur Reed – Down the Middle

Thousands of Haitians marched on November 6 in Port-au-Prince, Jérémie and Belladère to express support for Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele and the troops he sent to Haiti. Demonstrators called for faster action against armed gangs that control much of the capital, according to the news agency EFE.

In Port-au-Prince, some marchers said gangs had forced them from their homes. One woman from Carrefour-Feuilles told EFE she had earned a living as a merchant and paid for her children’s schooling before she was robbed and fled with them.

El Salvador originally offered helicopters and military personnel for medical evacuations. Bukele announced a rescue operation after four Salvadoran aviation technicians went missing in an October ambush near Port-au-Prince. By early November, El Salvador had deployed more than 2,000 troops to Haiti, according to The Associated Press. On November 4, the AP reported that Haitian police had found the vehicle used by the four technicians and that the search for them continued.

Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé says Haitian authorities direct foreign forces operating in the country. Reuters reported in late October that officials had yet to clarify who commands the Salvadoran troops in the field or what rules govern their use of force.

Ayisyen mache pou soutni Bukele

Plizyè milye Ayisyen te mache 6 novanm nan Pòtoprens, Jeremi ak Beladè pou montre yo soutni prezidan Salvadò a, Nayib Bukele, ansanm ak sòlda li voye ann Ayiti yo. Dapre ajans nouvèl EFE, manifestan yo te mande pou operasyon kont gang ame ki kontwole yon gwo pati nan kapital la fèt pi vit.

Nan Pòtoprens, kèk manifestan te di gang yo te fòse yo kite kay yo. Yon fanm ki soti Kafoufèy te di EFE li te konn fè komès pou l viv epi peye lekòl pitit li yo. Li di yo te vòlè sa li te genyen, epi li te oblije kouri ak pitit li yo.

Okòmansman, Salvadò te ofri elikoptè ak pèsonèl militè pou transpòte moun ki bezwen swen medikal. Bukele te anonse yon operasyon sekou apre kat teknisyen avyasyon salvadoryen te disparèt nan yon anbiskad toupre Pòtoprens nan mwa oktòb. Dapre Associated Press, rive nan kòmansman mwa novanm, Salvadò te deja voye plis pase 2,000 sòlda ann Ayiti. Jou ki te 4 novanm nan, AP te rapòte lapolis ayisyen te jwenn machin kat teknisyen yo t ap itilize a, epi rechèch pou jwenn yo t ap kontinye.

Premye minis ayisyen an, Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, di se otorite ayisyen yo ki dirije fòs etranje k ap mennen operasyon nan peyi a. Nan fen mwa oktòb, Reuters te rapòte responsab yo poko presize kiyès ki kòmande sòlda salvadoryen yo sou teren an, ni ki règ yo dwe suiv lè y ap sèvi ak fòs.