Haiti’s security forces have regained control of the country’s main stadium, which had been in the hands of criminal gangs for two years, France24 reports.
As a result, the country’s national football team was forced to play its matches elsewhere.
Law enforcement officers, together with a special unit — a private security group working for the government — established “full control” over the facility. The stadium was then handed over to be guarded by troops from El Salvador.
The operation is part of the deployment of around 2,000 service personnel ordered by El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele. Last Tuesday, he said his fighters had destroyed the “headquarters” of the “400 Mawozo” group — one of Haiti’s largest gangs.
Bukele has drawn attention for cracking down on Salvadoran gangs, but has also faced accusations of human rights abuses. The president ordered the contingent to be dispatched to rescue four Salvadoran soldiers who went missing after being ambushed on 18 October in Port-au-Prince.
The four soldiers are part of the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) — a multinational formation operating with UN support. At the same time, the organisation has distanced itself from the actions of the units sent to carry out the rescue mission.