Wilson Joseph, known as 'Lanmò San Jou' and leader of the 400 Mawozo gang, sent a letter this Sunday to the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, in which he requests his mediation following the landing in Haiti of a contingent of more than 2,000 Salvadoran soldiers, deployed to locate four soldiers from that country who disappeared after an attack attributed to the gangs.
According to several Haitian media outlets, the letter from 'Lanmò San Jou' recalls that since August they have expressed their willingness to move toward "a peaceful solution to the national crisis, specifically through the opening of a dialogue between the international forces present in Haiti and the 400 Mawozo group", in reference to the Gang Suppression Force (GSF), created a year ago under a United Nations mandate.
In the letter, the criminal leader warns that "as a result of the incidents involving four Salvadoran soldiers (members of the GSF), the civilian population finds itself exposed to a situation of alarming violence" and especially denounces the "threats" from the President of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, directed at the gangs so that they hand over the four uniformed men.
The text also underscores that "our country, deeply punished by insecurity and poverty, needs dialogue, justice and reconciliation, and not new human losses. Consequently, I respectfully request the sending of a United Nations delegation to Haiti in order to facilitate a process of dialogue and mediation between the parties involved".
The United States maintains an active reward of up to one million dollars for information that will make it possible to arrest 'Lanmò San Jou', whom, as the top responsible for 400 Mawozo, is linked to the kidnapping of 17 Christian missionaries in Haiti in October 2021, when a ransom was demanded and most of the victims remained held for 61 days.
400 Mawozo is part of the nine main gangs operating in the Caribbean country, involved in kidnappings, weapons and drug trafficking, as well as extortion activities.
For his part, Bukele has insisted that the deployment of his troops on Haitian territory does not respond to an "occupation mission" nor is it driven by "neocolonialist intentions", but is limited to an operation focused exclusively on finding and rescuing the four missing Salvadoran soldiers.
In addition, the Haitian Police announced last Thursday the death of "approximately 20 gang members" in an operation carried out in the Arcahaie area, northwest of Port-au-Prince.