Wilson Joseph, known as “Lanmò Sanjou,” the leader of the 400 Mawozo gang, has toned down his rhetoric as Salvadoran forces arrive in large numbers, HaitiLibre reported on November 1.

On October 22 he had said he was ready to fight. At the end of October, in a video, he instead proposed holding talks with El Salvador's president, Nayib Bukele, according to HaitiLibre.

The gang leader continues to deny any responsibility for the disappearance of four Salvadoran soldiers of the Gang Suppression Force, who went missing after their vehicle was attacked on October 18.

The 400 Mawozo gang is based in Croix-des-Bouquets, northeast of Port-au-Prince. Doctors Without Borders says gunfire and drone explosions have multiplied in the Plaine du Cul-de-Sac since the soldiers disappeared.