Salvadoran troops take up positions at Sylvio Cator Stadium in Port-au-Prince

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Salvadoran soldiers have taken up positions inside Sylvio Cator National Stadium in downtown Port-au-Prince, Le Nouvelliste reported Thursday, citing a source close to the Haitian Armed Forces (FAd’H).

According to the newspaper, more than 20 vehicles, including armored vehicles and trucks carrying Salvadoran troops, were stationed inside the stadium.

The deployment puts Salvadoran troops inside a landmark that has been closed since February 2024 because of gang control in the surrounding neighborhood. An earlier United Nations assessment estimated that armed gangs controlled about 80 percent of the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area.

Before its closure, Sylvio Cator hosted international matches and major domestic competitions. For more than two years, Haitian football has been without one of its most historic grounds.