El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has formally denied that human remains recently handed over to his military teams at a Haitian airport are those of the four Salvadoran personnel reported missing. The individuals, who are aviation technicians rather than combat-trained troops, disappeared following an attack by gangs on October 18. They were serving as members of a gang suppression force established by the U.N. Security Council to address organized crime in the Caribbean nation.
Writing on the social media platform X, Bukele detailed that a nongovernmental organization had delivered the remains, which included those of a child and a man of significantly different stature than the Salvadoran technicians. Furthermore, he noted that one set of remains was dressed in a uniform distinct from those worn by Salvadoran personnel. While he did not specifically address a fourth body, Bukele stated that identification cards and military uniforms originating from other countries were discovered among the items provided. He explicitly stated, “They are not our men,” despite claims from the organization that the remains belonged to the missing technicians.
An anonymous official from the Salvadoran government confirmed the president's assertion, noting that the recovered remains were not those of the aviation technicians. A second official familiar with the ongoing investigation similarly told The Associated Press on Saturday night that while four bodies were recovered, there is no confirmation linking them to the missing Salvadoran citizens. Meanwhile, The New York Times reported, citing a humanitarian aid organization, that the four bodies found could potentially be the Salvadorans, though they were severely burned and would require formal autopsies for identification.
In response to the disappearance, El Salvador deployed more than 100 special forces troops to Haiti on October 22 to assist in rescue efforts. This move followed a warning from the Salvadoran government regarding a more forceful response if the technicians are not released alive and unharmed. Haiti’s government has characterized the incident as a kidnapping and stated that the search for the missing personnel remains its primary priority.
