Haiti Gang Leader Seeks UN Mediation Amid Salvadoran Offensive
Wilson Joseph, leader of the 400 Mawozo gang, requested UN mediation as El Salvador deployed 2,000 troops to rescue missing aviation technicians.
Gang leader Wilson Joseph wrote to UN Secretary-General António Guterres on November 1 requesting an international delegation to mediate peace talks. Joseph, who is under UN Security Council sanctions and faces a $1 million U.S. bounty, claimed he has officially raised the white flag since August 20 and characterized his organization as a rebel group seeking a peaceful resolution to the national crisis.
The request follows an October 18 ambush in Croix-des-Bouquets that left four Salvadoran aviation technicians missing. While Salvadoran authorities believe the technicians are alive, Joseph told the Associated Press they are dead and were attacked in the territory of the Chen Mechan gang.
In response to the disappearances, President Nayib Bukele deployed 2,000 troops to Haiti. This military offensive intensified on November 3, with armored vehicles advancing into the Plaine du Cul-de-Sac against the 400 Mawozo and Chen Mechan gangs. Joseph accused these forces and a UN-backed suppression force, supported by the private security firm Vectus Global, of using drones to kill civilians.
The United Nations confirmed receipt of Joseph's letter but stated that doing so does not constitute an endorsement of its contents or recognition of its author. UN officials further clarified that the majority of the Salvadoran troops operate outside the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force and fall outside the UN Support Office's mandate. President Donald Trump expressed support for Bukele's military intervention.
