Scoop: El Salvador blasts U.S. State Dept. over Haiti gang war
Zoom in: Haiti is a failed state racked by extreme corruption and gang violence despite years of international efforts, including the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force (GSF) that El Salvador and other nations have backed.
Key points
- Why it matters: The controversy exposes the tension between Trump's MAGA foreign policy objectives and the professional diplomatic establishment in the State Department.
- Chargé d'Affaires David Howell complained in a text message to Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé that El Salvador wasn't "coordinating" with the GSF.
- State Department officials said it was unclear who authorized the diplomatic note and didn't comment about Howell's correspondence to Haiti's prime minister.
State Department officials have quietly raised objections to El Salvador's gang-fighting efforts in Haiti — even as President Trump has offered his full support, according to diplomatic notes and informed sources.
Friction point: Tensions between State Department officials and El Salvador erupted after an Oct.
Additional details
- They are going to kill [GSF] troops or civilians and or get themselves killed." El Salvador later accused Howell of spreading misinformation.
- In its most caustic reply, El Salvador said it "categorically denies" Howell's claim that three of its soldiers were casualties.
- "It is ruled out that the fire from the Salvadoran personnel struck the facilities of the American Embassy," El Salvador wrote.
- Bukele responded by surging special forces units to Haiti after receiving the blessing of Trump, an ally, on Oct.
- embassy in San Salvador sent a formal protest in a diplomatic note to Bukele's government, saying that the U.S.
How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →
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