Central American troops arrive in Haiti to reinforce mission to restore order

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Some 150 Central American military police have begun arriving in Haiti to bolster the embattled government’s fight against violent gangs that have upended daily lives for millions on the Caribbean island .

The first deployment of 75 soldiers mainly from Guatemala and a small number from El Salvador was welcomed Friday at Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince by the highest Haitian authorities, security officials and the American Ambassador to Haiti, Dennis Hankins. A second contingent, of similar size, was expected to arrive Saturday and join the U.N.-backed mission that has been struggling for months to restore order.

Coordinated gang attacks on prisons, police stations and the main international airport have intensified in Haiti since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021. Gangs are estimated to control around 85% of the capital.

In what is perhaps the most brazen attack yet, gunmen opened fire on a crowd gathered on Christmas Eve for the much-anticipated reopening of Haiti’s largest public hospital, which has been closed after being ransacked by gangs earlier this year. Two journalists covering the event and a police officer were killed.

Before this week’s deployment, the international mission to quell the violence was led by around 400 security officers from Kenya. The Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin and Chad have also pledged personnel, although it is unclear when they will be sent.