image copyrightNAYIB BUKELE/X
Nayib Bukele assured this Tuesday that El Salvador troops deployed in Haiti destroyed the headquarters of the 400 Mawozo gang and the home of its leader.
The Salvadoran president made the announcement in a publication on the social network X accompanied by a video showing an air attack on several facilities.
"We kept our promise. We destroyed Lanmò San Jou's house and the headquarters of the 400 Mawozo gang," he wrote in a message on X in Haitian Creole, referring to Wilson Joseph, alias Lanmò San Jou, leader of the gang, considered one of the most dangerous in Haiti.
In the video, helicopters can be seen shooting at buildings in a rural area and several people fleeing in the surrounding area.
Bukele stated that most of the gang members escaped without fighting and described them as "cowards", without offering a toll of deaths or injuries.
According to the AFP agency, the attack took place on Sunday and was carried out by a Haitian police unit with support from the El Salvador military.
Bukele sent more than 2,000 soldiers to Haiti after the disappearance of four Salvadoran aviation technicians in an ambush on October 18 near Port-au-Prince and whose whereabouts remain unclear.
The operation against 400 Mawozo
The home attacked is located in Croix-des-Bouquets, east of Port-au-Prince, one of the areas where the gang operates.
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Wilson Joseph was not killed during the operation, according to the AP agency, which noted that the heads of these organizations usually alternate between several residences.
The Salvadoran forces used explosive drones, troops on the ground and four helicopters, two of them operated by the military of the Central American country, according to the AFP agency.
It cited two sources who spoke of up to 20 gunmen killed inside the property.
The insecurity conditions in that area have prevented the media and organizations present in Haiti from verifying the results of the attack on the ground.
Image source, AFP via Getty Images
The incursion came after a public threat from Bukele to these 400 Mawozo facilities.
The Salvadoran president asked for his location on Friday in X, in response to a publication from another user.
"Tell us the exact address and we will destroy it," he wrote.
What is known about Joseph and his band
400 Mawozo, whose name translates as "the 400 inexperienced men", is one of Haiti's main armed gangs. It operates in Croix-des-Bouquets, east of Port-au-Prince, and is known for kidnappings, extortion and vehicle theft.
The UN has also linked it to arms and ammunition trafficking.
In October 2021, he kidnapped 17 people linked to the American Christian organization Christian Aid Ministries when they returned from visiting an orphanage.
Among the victims were 16 Americans and one Canadian, including five children, the youngest eight months old.
Five of the hostages were freed and the remaining twelve escaped in December of that year.
For that kidnapping, a former leader of the gang, Joly Germine, was sentenced to life imprisonment in the United States in December 2025.
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The current leader of the group is Wilson Joseph, alias Lanmò San Jou, whose nickname means "death without a day."
The FBI maintains a search file for his alleged participation in that kidnapping, with accusations of hostage-taking and conspiracy to commit that crime.
The United States offers up to US$1 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction.
The UN Security Council included it on its sanctions list in December 2023.
He attributes responsibility, directly or through orders to his men, for murders, kidnappings, sexual violence and recruitment of minors, among other abuses.
After the Salvadoran deployment, Joseph requested mediation from the United Nations.
As reported by the AP on November 2, he requested the sending of a delegation to engage in dialogue and warned that military intervention could aggravate the violence.
The band also contacted the Haitian disarmament commission to explore negotiations, according to the same agency.
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