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Amnesty urges El Salvador to disclose terms of Haiti troop deployment
Amnesty International has urged El Salvador and Haiti to publish the agreement governing the deployment of Salvadoran troops to Haiti and explain how the forces are supervised. It says the terms matter because most of the soldiers are outside the UN-backed mission, leaving their rules for using force and accountability unclear.
Around 2,000 Salvadoran troops have been sent since four Salvadoran personnel went missing in mid-October. President Nayib Bukele first said the deployment was intended to bring them home, but has since suggested a wider aim of eliminating gangs. Amnesty called for operations to follow international human rights law and for independent investigations into any alleged abuses.
In short
- Amnesty wants the deployment agreement made public.
- About 2,000 Salvadoran troops are in Haiti.
- Most are outside the UN-backed force.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Publishing the agreement would let the public assess the mission’s authority, oversight and safeguards, particularly because most of the troops are outside the UN-backed force. Clear rules and independent investigations could protect Haitians from abuses while also giving Salvadoran personnel and both governments greater accountability and legitimacy.
The case against
The governments could reasonably argue that releasing operational terms while troops are deployed might expose sensitive information or constrain efforts to find the missing personnel and respond to armed gangs. They may also consider the deployment a matter for bilateral agreement, with public disclosure deferred until security risks have passed; that case would still need to be weighed against credible oversight and human rights protections.