Pro-Bukele Demonstrators Demand Refund of Funds From Erik Prince Contract

Several participants in Friday's demonstrations in support of Salvadoran operations against gangs called for the return of the money committed to a security contract linked to Erik Prince. They denounce the lack of "tangible results" in the face of the gangs' expansion. The information in this report comes from Rezo Nòdwès, the only outlet whose full text is in the file.

Several hundred people marched in Port-au-Prince, including in Fort-National, on Avenue Poupelard, in Poste Marchand and in Canapé-Vert. Rallies were also held outside the capital, in Mirebalais, Belladère, Jérémie and Thomonde.

What the Demonstrators Are Demanding

The protesters say the operations carried out since March 2025 have not durably restored traffic on the main roads. According to them, the operations have not freed the occupied territories either. They criticize the inaction of the government of Alix Didier Fils-Aimé and the lack of transparency of some contracts with private military companies.

The Fondasyon Je Klere (FJKL) puts the agreement signed under Prime Minister Fils-Aimé with a company linked to Erik Prince at 52 million dollars for one year. It says it has recorded about 35.5 million dollars in disbursements during the first eight months. It says it has not obtained a signed copy of the contract.

Declared Support for Nayib Bukele

According to the Salvadoran daily La Noticia SV, the demonstrators held up placards and chanted slogans in favor of President Nayib Bukele. Students were present. Some signs read: "Bukele, the people are waiting for you." The agency EFE gathered accounts from displaced people, including a former shopkeeper from Carrefour-Feuilles who fled with her children and says she lost everything.

In Mirebalais, Jean Vénel Dégrave, president of the Commission for Peace, told Radio Kiskeya that many displaced families were still living in difficult conditions. He is calling for the town to be retaken so that residents can go home, merchants can resume their activities and children can go back to school. In Thomonde, the demonstrators asked that the interventions against the gangs extend beyond the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area.

A Police Officer Running for Office, and Michel Martelly

Speaking to Radio Kiskeya, Samuel Joasil, head of the Canapé-Vert brigade and a declared candidate for mayor, welcomed the intervention of foreign forces, in particular Salvadoran ones. He is running under the banner of the DEBLOKE platform, whose presidential candidate is former president Michel Martelly.

Michel Martelly filed his candidacy on October 23, 2026. Report S/2023/674 of the United Nations Panel of Experts, published in September 2023, names him for alleged support of several gangs. The US Treasury Department sanctioned him on August 20, 2024.