SANTO DOMINGO/PORT-AU-PRINCE, (Reuters) – The Dominican Republic will seal its border with Haiti in its northern Dajabon province if a conflict over access to water from a shared river is not resolved in the coming days, a government spokesperson said yesterday.
Dajabon is one of the few remaining functioning borders between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, which has been tightening its border security amid worsening gang warfare in Haiti, deporting tens of thousands who fled the crisis.
The Dominican Republic will completely close off the border to land, maritime and air commerce if the conflict is not resolved by Thursday, Dominican authorities said in a statement, adding new visas for Haitians would also be suspended.
Construction work on a canal diverting water from the Massacre River had been started unilaterally by Haitians without support of the government, the statement said, adding this “clearly violates” a shared treaty.
“The Haitian government has repeatedly admitted it does not have the capacity to resolve internal conflicts due to the loss of the Haitian state’s monopoly on force due to criminal organizations,” it added.
“There is no doubt that this unilateral project is promoted by Haitian agents with the intention of harming their own government and generating a conflict with our country.”
Santo Domingo, which first ordered the border closure in a preliminary move last week, said it will seek talks with Haiti to find a “definitive solution.”
