Amnesty calls for public details on Salvadoran troops in Haiti
A group is asking two governments to share the specific rules governing 2,000 soldiers currently operating in the Caribbean nation.
By Ethan Cooper ·
Amnesty International is asking for the public release of the agreement that governs the deployment of Salvadoran forces in Haiti.
The organization issued this request on Monday. It wants both El Salvador and Haiti to clarify the terms under which approximately 2,000 soldiers are serving in the Caribbean nation.
President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador sent the troops after four of his personnel disappeared in mid-October. He initially described the mission as a search for the missing staff. He later suggested the force aims to dismantle local gangs.
Most of these soldiers are not part of the United Nations-backed Gang Suppression Force. This separation creates uncertainty about their rules of engagement and chain of command.
Ana Piquer, the Americas director for Amnesty International, said the governments must explain how they oversee the forces. She noted that the public needs to know who is accountable and how civilians can report violations without fear of retaliation.
Piquer urged Bukele and Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime to ensure all operations follow international human rights law. She called for independent and impartial investigations into every allegation of abuse.
She warned that the current response to gang violence should not repeat the patterns of impunity seen in earlier foreign interventions in Haiti.
