Bukele Tells Haitians: This Is No Invasion—We’re Here to Bring Our Men Home and Crush the Gangs
El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has addressed the people of Haiti directly in Creole as his forces finish deploying soldiers and equipment on Haitian soil. He made clear the operation is neither an attack on ordinary Haitians nor an invasion.
“This is not an operation against the Haitian people, nor an invasion of the country of Haiti,” Bukele wrote. “We are not a great power. We have no interest in dominating the Haitian people, nor in seizing Haiti’s wealth.”
He described his country as “a modest developing country” whose sole aim is the return of four aviation technicians seized after a gang ambush. At the same time, he said Salvadoran forces will “teach a lesson to the gangs, those gangs that are making the Haitian people suffer, that kill the people the people love, that prevent them from living a normal, free life without fear.”
Bukele stressed that El Salvador is largely footing the bill itself. “Even though we receive a little logistical help from some other countries, with our own small funds we are covering 90% of the expenses.” He added that the cost is high, yet “we learned from our own suffering: justice and peace have no price.”
He drew a direct parallel to El Salvador’s own history. “We went through the same suffering that Haiti is going through today. We lived a bloodbath that was even more terrible than what the Haitian people are suffering now. We know what that means: living in fear, not trusting politicians, not believing anyone who promises to help you. Because no one came to help us, and those who came did not have good intentions in their hearts.”
After two centuries of that suffering, he noted, El Salvador now lives in peace and ranks as the most secure country on the continent. “We are not coming to Haiti to make money, because no one is paying us for that. We are coming to Haiti to fight against the evil ones.”
Bukele closed by asking Haitians to “trust us, pray to the one true God, and ask Him to heal Haiti,” quoting 2 Chronicles 7:14 on repentance, forgiveness, and national restoration. He promised the troops will leave once the mission ends: “Perhaps the Haitian generations to come will remember us as friends who came to help at a time.”
The message comes as Salvadoran forces operate in support of efforts to recover the missing technicians and confront the gangs that have terrorized Haiti. Bukele has framed the action as self-reliant justice rather than foreign occupation or profit-seeking.
El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has addressed the people of Haiti directly in Creole as his forces finish deploying soldiers and equipment on Haitian soil. He made clear the operation is neither an attack on ordinary Haitians nor an invasion.
“This is not an operation against the Haitian people, nor an invasion of the country of Haiti,” Bukele wrote. “We are not a great power. We have no interest in dominating the Haitian people, nor in seizing Haiti’s wealth.”
He described his country as “a modest developing country” whose sole aim is the return of four aviation technicians seized after a gang ambush. At the same time, he said Salvadoran forces will “teach a lesson to the gangs, those gangs that are making the Haitian people suffer, that kill the people the people love, that prevent them from living a normal, free life without fear.”
Bukele stressed that El Salvador is largely footing the bill itself. “Even though we receive a little logistical help from some other countries, with our own small funds we are covering 90% of the expenses.” He added that the cost is high, yet “we learned from our own suffering: justice and peace have no price.”
He drew a direct parallel to El Salvador’s own history. “We went through the same suffering that Haiti is going through today. We lived a bloodbath that was even more terrible than what the Haitian people are suffering now. We know what that means: living in fear, not trusting politicians, not believing anyone who promises to help you. Because no one came to help us, and those who came did not have good intentions in their hearts.”
After two centuries of that suffering, he noted, El Salvador now lives in peace and ranks as the most secure country on the continent. “We are not coming to Haiti to make money, because no one is paying us for that. We are coming to Haiti to fight against the evil ones.”
Bukele closed by asking Haitians to “trust us, pray to the one true God, and ask Him to heal Haiti,” quoting 2 Chronicles 7:14 on repentance, forgiveness, and national restoration. He promised the troops will leave once the mission ends: “Perhaps the Haitian generations to come will remember us as friends who came to help at a time.”
The message comes as Salvadoran forces operate in support of efforts to recover the missing technicians and confront the gangs that have terrorized Haiti. Bukele has framed the action as self-reliant justice rather than foreign occupation or profit-seeking.