October 14th 2023.
Haiti has declined to join their neighbor, the Dominican Republic, in important commercial border crossing negotiations, according to the Associated Press. The Dominican Republic closed their border for close to a month in protest of the canal construction on Haitian soil. Dominican President Luis Abinader claimed that the work was in violation of a 1929 treaty and was taking water away from Dominican farmers.
Meanwhile, Haiti argued that due to a drought, they had the right to urgently build the canal. When the Dominican Republic reopened their borders, they limited trade and banned Haitians from entering the Dominican Republic for work, school, medical reasons, or tourism. Abinader further prohibited visas to be issued.
In response, Haiti’s northeast region delegate, Moïse Charles Pierre, called for their neighbor to apologize and give the border for operation rights. “Abinader needs to respect the Haitian people and apologize publicly,” Pierre said. In a show of good faith, Haiti decided to not mimic DR’s tactics at their border gate in the community of Ouanaminthe.
At a meeting of the Organization of American States in Washington, D.C. on October 12th, the issue was discussed between Roberto Álvarez, foreign affairs minister for the Dominican Republic, and Léon Charles, Haiti’s permanent representative to the OAS. Charles told Alvarez that Haiti was open for discussion but not under their terms, “under the threat of dictating a solution to the Haitian population.” Álvarez, in turn, pointed out the toxic history between the two countries, including Haiti occupying the Dominican Republic for 22 years in the 1800s. He referred to Charles’ response as “reckless”, but Charles maintained that the canal construction would not stop.
The escalating tensions between the two Caribbean nations adds to the strained history that exists between them. By closing Haiti’s only land border, it can only worsen the country’s already struggling economic, security, and humanitarian issues, according to the Washington Post. Human Rights Watch Crisis and Conflict Director Ida Sawyer said the border closure showed how the world continues to fail the people of Haiti. “A border closure would essentially lock Haitians within their country amid extreme levels of violence, including large-scale killings, kidnappings, and rapes,” Sawyer said. “And with much of the population struggling to feed their families or access clean water and health care.”
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