Haitians have welcomed the deployment of Salvadoran troops to the country to help in the fight against gang violence.
They are guarding the main stadium in the capital, Port-au-Prince after Haitian security forces regained control of it on Thursday following two years under gang control.
El Salvador president, Nayib Bukele, said it will serve as an operational base for the around 2,000 soldiers sent to Haiti.
"The gangs drove me out of my home. Since then, I’ve been wandering from one place to another. With Bukele’s arrival, I feel a certain pride at the thought of regaining my freedom," said a displaced man.
Bukele said his soldiers will launch an offensive from the stadium and urged gang members to abandon the area.
"Those who choose to stay and fight our forces will have to face the consequences," he added in a post on X written in Haitian Creole.
He gained attention for bringing Salvadoran gangs to heel but the authoritarian leader has been accused of human rights violations.
The Salvadoran president first ordered the deployment of troops to Haiti to rescue four of the country’s soldiers who went missing after an ambush in Port-au-Prince.
Gangs expanded their control over large swathes of the city following the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.