Gangs Controlled Haiti’s Largest Stadium For Past 2 Years. Bukele’s Troops Now Occupy It

Haitian security forces say they have retaken Port-au-Prince’s Stade Sylvio Cator after gangs controlled it for about two years, and Salvadoran troops have taken over its security. The stadium is intended to serve as a base for operations against gangs, signalling a further escalation of the security campaign in Haiti.

The operation involved Haitian police and armed forces, a government-linked private security group and El Salvador’s special forces, under a bilateral agreement. The 10,000-capacity venue fell to gangs in 2024, forcing Haiti’s national football team to play World Cup qualifiers in Curaçao. President Nayib Bukele said skulls were found inside and called on gangs to leave before an offensive; Salvadoran troops had also recently been deployed after four of their soldiers went missing in an ambush.