Haitian forces recapture national stadium after two years of gang control

In these images shared by the president of El Salvador, Salvadoran troops marched down a central street in Port-au-Prince. The show of force takes them to the Silvio Cator Stadium. Gangs had controlled Haiti's main football stadium since 2024. Haitian police say they retook the strategic site with help from foreign contractors, then handed it over to Salvadoran troops to secure the area. Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele says his special forces also took part in the operation. We will now establish an operational base at this stadium so we can continue advancing deeper into territory controlled by the gangs. I firmly demand that all gang members leave the area before the offensive begins. El Salvador's military offensive in Haiti started in October when four Salvadoran soldiers working for the UN-backed gang suppression force went missing after an ambush. Bukele, whose crackdown on gangs at home has drawn accusations of human rights abuses, has since sent around 2,500 troops to Haiti. The initiative has been welcomed by Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry, whose government has struggled to stay afloat in a country where gangs control large swaths of the capital and surrounding regions. Hats off to President Nayib Bukele for your support and commitment to the national fight against gangs. The collaboration will continue. Haiti has suffered from widespread violence and chaos for years. With conditions worsening since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. According to the UN, over 1,100 people were killed and over 400 injured in the country between July and September, with gangs responsible for at least 45% of incidents. Human rights group Amnesty International have warned Haiti and El Salvador that the new military operations could further exacerbate violence. They have urged the governments to share details of the agreement, allowing Salvadoran troops into Haiti.