Haiti PM says gang leader Mathias Saintil is dead

Haiti ​authorities on Friday confirmed gang ​leader Mathias Saintil ‌was dead, ​after Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime said on X there was "one less gang ‌leader."

"The fight to free the country from the grip of bandits continues with determination," Fils-Aime added. A National Network for the ‌Defense of Human Rights report seen by Reuters said ‌Saintil suffered serious abdominal wounds in a drone strike in Boston, a gang-controlled neighborhood on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince on Thursday night and ⁠died ​the following day while ⁠receiving treatment.

The reported killing, one of the biggest blows to ⁠Haiti's gang leadership since 2024, comes amid an intensified security campaign involving ​Haitian authorities and newly deployed Salvadoran troops, as the government ⁠pushes to restore stability ahead of newly delayed elections. Around 2,000 Salvadoran troops ⁠have ​deployed to Haiti since last month following an ambush in which four Salvadoran members of a U.N.-backed force ⁠went missing. Some Haitians have expressed support for the Salvadoran deployment ⁠and ⁠Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele's hard-line approach to gangs, with pro-Bukele demonstrations reported in parts of the country ‌on Friday.