Closed border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti, impressive Dominican military presence and fiery declarations: the construction of a canal through Haiti has created a diplomatic crisis in the context of already strained relations due to Haitian immigration.
• Also read: Dominican Republic closes border with Haiti due to dispute
The Dominican president announced the previous day the closure of the border in retaliation for the construction of a canal through Haiti that would divert water from the Massacre River (actually a river), which is one of the natural borders between the two countries, which is the island of Hispaniola split .
Limit voltage
Armed soldiers are everywhere. Hundreds of soldiers have arrived in trucks and are scattered along the border and river. A helicopter flies over the area.
The border gates between Dajabon (Dominican Republic) and Ouanaminthe (Haiti) are closed. The closure actually began ten days ago in Dajabon, but was extended to the three other land crossing points between the two countries as of 6 a.m. (10 a.m. GMT), as well as to the sea and air crossing points (all flights between the two countries were canceled) .
The channel
For Luis Abinader, President of the Dominican Republic, the construction of the canal to supply Haitian farmers with water is a violation of binational treaties.
“This is a completely inadequate construction without any kind of technology, a provocation that this government will not accept,” he said on Thursday.
The president, a candidate for re-election in 2024, has made relations with Haiti one of his election hobbies.
He led the country to build a wall between the two countries to prevent illegal immigration, and his government regularly carries out expulsions of immigrants, widely criticized by human rights NGOs.
The Republic of Haiti “can sovereignly decide on the exploitation of its natural resources,” the government of Port-au-Prince responded in a press release. Haiti has the “full right” to “make catches” in the Massacre River, Port-au-Prince claims.
Economic impact
Haiti is the second largest recipient of Dominican exports (8.4%) after the United States (56%). In 2022, they amounted to $1.04 billion, including jewelry, food and building materials.
The closure of the Dajabon market results in millions of dollars in losses. A line of trucks loaded with goods were parked and unable to cross.
Thousands of people usually cross the border gates to get to the binational market, which is open on Mondays and Fridays. Normally the activity there is intense.
“This city is unfortunately buried without that connection to Haiti,” said resident Nelson Nunez. “It’s sad, we would think a cyclone would have hit everything and swept everything away.”
The government announced compensation measures and promised to purchase perishable products normally exported to Haiti.
“Producers can be sure that the government will support them, because the measure taken by the president represents a matter of security and defense of national sovereignty,” said Presidency Secretary Joel Santos Echavarria.
Return to Haiti
A pedestrian barrier will be opened in the exit direction twice a day to allow Haitians to return to their country.
Most of them are workers who carry out daily or multi-day commutes.
“They say the Haitians are a threat, I’m scared and I’m leaving,” a gardener who has lived in the Dominican Republic for twenty years told AFP.
Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, has been mired in an economic and political crisis for years, exacerbated by gang violence.
Joseph Cherubin, a Haitian human rights activist in the Dominican Republic, fears the situation will increase xenophobia. “This is the worst: the rise of Dominican nationalism.”
Evictions continue during the crisis. The immigration truck that rounds up arrested illegal immigrants comes from urban centers. Dozens of Haitians on board assure their return.