Amnesty calls on Haiti and El Salvador to publish agreement on deployment of Salvadoran soldiers

Amnesty International is calling on the governments of Haiti and El Salvador to make public the agreement governing the deployment of some 2,000 Salvadoran troops in Haiti.

In a statement issued on Monday, November 9, 2026, the organization's Americas director, Ana Piquer, said Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé and President Nayib Bukele "must ensure that all operations carried out by Salvadoran forces in Haiti comply with international human rights law."

Amnesty's demands

The organization is asking both governments to explain how these forces are controlled, what rules govern the use of force, who they answer to and how the public can report abuses without fear of reprisals.

It points out that any use of force must meet the principles of legality, necessity and proportionality. It also calls for protections for children, particularly those recruited by gangs, and for prompt, independent and impartial investigations into any violations. According to Ana Piquer, the deployment "must not repeat the abuses and impunity" of earlier interventions in Haiti.

Outside UN oversight

The spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, Stéphane Dujarric, said that most of the Salvadoran troops deployed recently are not part of the UN-authorized Gang Suppression Force (GSF). They are therefore not monitored by the United Nations Support Office in Haiti.

Finally, Amnesty is calling for the fate of the four Salvadoran soldiers missing since October 18 to be established and, if they are being held by a gang, for them to be released immediately.