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Conflict Haiti · El Salvador

Haiti's gang crisis

Gangs still control most of Port-au-Prince as more than 2,000 Salvadoran troops back Haitian police east of the capital, and Prime Minister Fils-Aime has praised the Nov 8 strike on 400 Mawozo's headquarters. The first round of elections has been moved to July 18, 2027.

Confidence: medium. Election dates, the size of the Salvadoran deployment and UN casualty and displacement figures are well documented. The toll of the Nov 8 strike rests on anonymous sources, the fate of the four missing Salvadorans is disputed, and estimates of gang control of the capital range from about 70% (AP) to 90% (UN, via Al Jazeera). · Updated 11 Nov 2026, 2pm ET

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Why it matters: Nearly 1.5 million Haitians, including more than 740,000 children, are displaced, and the UN-authorized Gang Suppression Force had 1,563 of its 5,550 authorized personnel as of Oct 12, 2026. source

What's happening

Armed gangs expanded after President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in 2021, and Haiti has held no national election since 2016. The UN says gangs control as much as 90% of Port-au-Prince, while AP puts the figure at about 70%. Since the Transitional Presidential Council stepped down on Feb 7, 2026, Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé has held executive power alone. A UN-authorized Gang Suppression Force succeeded the Kenyan-led mission, with troops arriving from April 2026; as of Oct 12 it had 1,563 of 5,550 authorized personnel, and its mandate runs to March 2027. After four Salvadoran aviation technicians serving with the force went missing in an Oct 18 ambush in Croix-des-Bouquets, El Salvador sent more than 2,000 soldiers, most of them outside the UN framework. The electoral council moved the first round of voting from Dec 13 to July 18, 2027. The UN counts nearly 1.5 million people displaced, and an IPC analysis finds 5.94 million facing acute hunger.

What changed recently

Key figures

5.94 million, including 1.8 million in emergency conditionsHaitians facing acute hunger (IPC Phase 3 or worse)IPC food security analysis released Oct 28 · 2026-10-28 · source
1,123 killed, 440 injuredPeople killed and injured in gang-related violence, July to early October 2026UN figures presented to the Security Council · 2026-10-19 · source
more than 2,000, of whom about 200 fall under the UN-backed forceSalvadoran troops sent to Haiti since late OctoberSalvadoran government; UN spokesman for the share under the Gang Suppression Force · 2026-11-05 · source

What experts say

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Sources