On Nov. 9, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio backed the U.N.-authorized Gang Suppression Force in Haiti and said it must succeed because Washington has no other plan to confront the gangs.
Rubio told reporters in Paris that the force was the main way for other countries to help Haiti regain control from armed groups. The force replaced a security mission led by Kenya and gets practical support from the U.N. In September, the Security Council extended the force's authorization for six months.
Rubio's support comes as El Salvador separately deploys soldiers to Haiti. President Nayib Bukele sent troops after four Salvadoran aviation technicians serving with the international effort went missing. They went missing after a gang ambush.
Most of the Salvadoran soldiers sent recently are not under the U.N. force's command. This has raised concerns about how the different security groups will coordinate. Rubio has said the United States supports the U.N. mission but has no troops deployed in Haiti.
He stressed that the international force and Salvadoran units must avoid mistaking one another for gang members. Meanwhile, gangs continue to threaten communities outside the capital. The U.N. has reported that the authorized force has not yet reached its planned size.