On Monday, Salvadoran military units executed their first large-scale targeted operation across Haiti’s Cul-de-Sac plain, a strategic region northeast of the capital Port-au-Prince, with the explicit goal of disrupting and neutralizing the notorious Chen Mechan and 400 Mawozo criminal gangs. The deployment follows a high-stakes ambush in the Croix-des-Bouquets area roughly two weeks prior that left four Salvadoran service members unaccounted for, marking a deadly prelude to the expanded security push. The contingent of Salvadoran troops, who first arrived in Haiti on October 22 as part of the UN-mandated Gang Suppression Force (GSF) mission, advanced through the region in convoys of armored vehicles, as gang members hastily erected makeshift road barricades in a bid to halt their forward progress. Local Haitian media outlets confirmed at least 12 fatalities from violent clashes between armed gang factions and the Salvadoran military across the Santo and Croix-des-Missions neighborhoods. The 400 Mawozo gang, one of Haiti’s most violent criminal syndicates, is led by Lanmò San Jou, a fugitive with an active U.S. arrest warrant; American law enforcement officials have publicly offered a reward of up to $1 million for actionable intelligence leading to his apprehension. In a coordinated parallel action, the Haitian National Police announced a sweeping multi-location operation spanning key sites across the Cul-de-Sac plain, operating in full partnership with the UN-authorized GSF. Haitian security authorities outlined that the joint operation’s core objectives include dismantling illegal gang checkpoints that extort local residents, curbing the rampant wave of kidnappings that has terrorized communities, and shielding civilians from arbitrary gang violence. The coordinated law enforcement push covers high-risk zones including Carrefour Shada, the Croix-des-Missions bridge, and the Santo 17 neighborhood, where police units have deployed both armored vehicles and specialized ground tactical teams. Separately, on-the-ground local reports indicate that the Viv Ansanm gang coalition has issued explicit threats to residents of La Plaine, coercing civilians to stage public demonstrations against the ongoing security operations, with gang leaders framing the Salvadoran military deployment as a foreign “invasion” of Haitian territory.