‘Potentially ugly’: taking war on gangs to Haiti poses risks for El Salvador’s leader

Soldiers may end up in ferocious battles across sprawling slums, say experts who question Nayib Bukele’s motive It has been nearly five years since El Salvador’s authoritarian leader, Nayib Bukele, launched his controversial “war” on gangs – transforming his country’s fortunes and becoming a hard-right beacon for Latin America’s fight against violent crime. Now the Salvadoran populist seems intent on exporting his hardline tactics to the region’s most violence-stricken nation, Haiti. He has sent more than 2,000 troops and special forces to the Caribbean country since four citizens of El Salvador were abducted there on 18 October. Continue reading...