Dominican Republic Will Close Its Border With Haiti Over Canal Dispute

Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader announced that all borders with Haiti, including air, sea, and land borders, would close as a dispute over a canal on the Haitian side continues. The canal uses water from the Dominican Republic's frontier area.

President Abinader ordered that the borders would close at 6 AM, local time on Friday. He also stated that the Dominican Republic-Haiti border would remain shut "until necessary." This also means that talks between the two Caribbean countries broke down.

This move was a rare one from the Dominican Republic, and it could spell badly for the economies of both countries, especially in Haiti, which is experiencing an unprecedented crisis as gangs slowly take over its capital, Port-au-Prince. The country has been in turmoil since then-President Jovenel Moise was assassinated by elements who wanted to take power for themselves.

According to the Associated Press, the disagreement between the two countries on the island of Hispaniola started when a Haitian farming group excavated a canal that targeted waters from the Massacre River. The river runs along the Dominican Republic-Haiti border and is shared by both countries.

Since the Haiti Crisis began, the construction work on the canal has been halted. However, it recently resumed despite the inaction of the Haitian government, "which has failed to respond to the problems created by the drought in the agricultural area of the Maribaroux plain."

Latin American and Caribbean consultant Diego Da Rin noted that the organization found that there had not been any "major politicians or powerful businesspeople" behind the resumption of work on the canal, as the Dominican Republic government has claimed. It is unclear who restarted the canal's construction.

Dominican Republic Previously Suspended Visas for Haitians Over Canal Dispute

Just a few days before the Dominican Republic shut down its borders to Haiti, President Abinader also suspended issuing visas to Haitians. This was when he started threatening to shut down land, air, and sea traffic between the two Hispaniola countries, according to the Associated Press.

"If the conflict is not resolved before Thursday, (officials will) completely close the border to air, sea and land commerce," said the Dominican Republic government in a statement.

The president made good with his threat, as the borders have now been closed until further notice.

Haiti Tried To Negotiate for the Dominican Republic-Haiti Border To Remain Open

Despite its government currently in tatters due to the current crisis, Haiti actually tried to negotiate to keep its border with Dominicana open. A statement by Haiti's Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that both sides were trying to find a "fair and definitive" solution to squabbles over the use of the Massacre River.

According to ABC News, Dominican Republic officials claimed that the disputed canal "would divert water from the Massacre River and hurt farmers and the environment."

The last time the Dominican Republic fully shut down its borders with Haiti was right after President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in 2021.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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