SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — One of Haiti's most powerful gang leaders has written to the United Nations secretary-general asking the world body to send a delegation to Haiti for dialogue and mediation, the leader confirmed to the Associated Press on Monday, November 2, in his first interview with a major international news organisation. Wilson Joseph, best known as Lanmò Sanjou and leader of the 400 Mawozo gang, said he fears that Salvadoran troops deployed to Haiti after the disappearance of four Salvadoran aviation technicians could trigger an escalation of violence and reprisals, AP reported.

Source: Associated Press via Reflector

UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric confirmed late on Monday that the United Nations had received a letter bearing Joseph's signature. 'However, receipt of such a letter does not constitute endorsement of its contents, recognition of its author, or a position by the United Nations,' Dujarric said, in a statement also reported by Spanish news agency EFE. Dujarric added that the UN remains deeply concerned about the impact of Haiti's security crisis on communities and stressed the protection of civilians and respect for international humanitarian law in all operations.

Source: EFE via Demócrata

What Joseph told AP: the technicians are dead, he says

Joseph told AP that the four Salvadoran aviation technicians attacked on October 18 are dead, and that the attack took place in territory held by Chen Mechan, another gang, in Plaine du Cul-de-Sac, near the capital Port-au-Prince. The claim comes from Joseph himself and has not been independently verified. The technicians' disappearance prompted El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele to deploy more than 2,000 troops to Haiti, and Joseph said drone attacks and clashes have intensified since the UN-backed gang-suppression force, Haitian police and soldiers, and the private security firm Vectus Global began fighting armed groups in the Plaine du Cul-de-Sac area.

The Salvadoran deployment followed the October ambush on the technicians, and Bukele later disputed the identity of bodies handed over during the search. Read: Bukele says bodies handed over in Haiti are not the missing Salvadoran soldiers

'I have officially raised the white flag' — what the letter asks for

In the two-page letter, dated November 1 and sent from Plaine du Cul-de-Sac, Joseph wrote that he has 'officially raised the white flag' since August 20 and seeks 'a peaceful solution to the national crisis, in particular through the opening of a dialogue between the international forces present in Haiti and the 400 Mawozo group.' He wrote that 'given Mr. Nayib Bukele's vengeful remarks, expectations, and threats, I fear this situation will lead to an escalation of violence and a logic of reprisals, of which the Haitian people would be the first victims,' and said he was 'officially available' to receive the delegation he requested. 'I remain convinced that dialogue must prevail over force,' he wrote. 'The protection of civilians, particularly children and vulnerable families, must be at the heart of any international initiative.' Asked by AP what he wanted in exchange for laying down guns, Joseph declined to say, adding he would discuss that when he sits down with a peace commission.

2,000+Salvadoran troops deployed to Haiti after the October 18 attack on four aviation technicians
5,700+People killed or injured across Haiti from January to mid-September, according to the UN
$1 millionUS reward offered for Joseph — yaani about $10 lakh, or roughly 1 million US dollars — who was indicted in the US in 2022 on hostage-taking charges
Aug 20Date Joseph says he 'officially raised the white flag'

Who are 400 Mawozo — and why the UN is careful

400 Mawozo — its name roughly translates as '400 Simpletons' — operates largely in Croix-des-Bouquets, a community near Port-au-Prince, and has been linked to mass kidnappings. Joseph was placed on the UN Security Council's Haiti sanctions list in December 2023 and is wanted in the United States, which has offered a $1 million reward; he was indicted there in 2022 on charges of conspiracy to commit hostage taking and hostage taking. Dujarric also clarified that the vast majority of the Salvadoran personnel in Haiti do not operate under the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force (GSF), so they fall outside the notification and support framework of the UN Support Office in Haiti — a distinction that underlines how complicated any mediation channel would be.

What happens next

There was no indication on Monday that the UN would send the delegation Joseph requested, and no Haitian government response to the letter was immediately reported. Joseph's appeal is his own claim to want talks; it does not establish that 400 Mawozo has stopped its activities or that any negotiation has begun. What is established is narrower but significant: a sanctioned gang leader facing a foreign troop deployment has publicly asked the UN to mediate, the UN has confirmed the letter arrived while refusing to treat that as recognition, and — on Joseph's own account to AP — the four missing Salvadoran technicians at the centre of the crisis are dead.