Haitian Forces Retake Port-au-Prince's Main Stadium After Two Years of Gang Control; Salvadoran Troops Move In
Haitian security forces and a government-serving Task Force have taken full control of the Sylvio Cator Stadium in downtown Port-au-Prince, the Haitian National Police said on November 12, and Salvadoran troops have since assumed guarding the venue, France 24 reported. Gangs had controlled the stadium since 2024.
The Sylvio Cator Stadium holds about 10,000 people and is the home ground of Haiti's national football team. After gangs seized it, the national team was forced to play its World Cup qualifying home matches in Curaçao.
El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele said the operation was carried out jointly by the Haitian National Police, the Haitian Armed Forces, the Task Force and Salvadoran special forces under a bilateral security agreement, and that several human skulls were found inside the stadium. Bukele said the stadium will be converted into an operational base for expanding operations into surrounding gang-held areas, and warned gang members around the stadium to leave before the next phase of the offensive. Haitian media reported clashes near the stadium on the morning security forces moved in.
El Salvador currently has about 2,000 soldiers in Haiti, deployed after an ambush in Port-au-Prince on October 18 left four Salvadoran aviation technicians missing. The Salvadoran deployment is separate from the UN-backed multinational force. GSM previously reported that Salvadoran forces helped Haitian police destroy the 400 Mawozo gang's headquarters on November 10.
(Source: Haitian National Police)
Source: Haitian National Police
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
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