The Dominican Republic stated earlier this week that it will increase security along its northern border with Haiti in response to an alleged “provocation” in which several Haitians allegedly broke into Dominican territory and interfered with an army patrol.
The situation has luckily not worsened, but as a precautionary step, the army will boost the number of soldiers and vehicles monitoring the region, according to Dominican government spokesman Homero Figueroa on messaging platform X.
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Figueroa stated, “The situation seems to be due to an apparent misunderstanding by Haitian citizens regarding the border limits that separate both countries,” he added that the Dominican military, “has full authority to patrol this area.” Haitian media disputed the Dominican government’s claim, claiming that soldiers had crossed the border into Haiti and were pointing weapons at residents.
Videos that went viral on social media showed a burning tire spewing black smoke, troops from Haiti and the Dominican Republic standing close to a border wall, and a helicopter circling the area.
An inquiry for comment was not immediately answered by a government representative for Haiti.
“The Dominican government considers this action as a provocation with the aim of generating a conflict with unpredictable consequences,” Figueroa remarks.
Amid escalating gang violence in Haiti, Santo Domingo has stepped up border security and deported migrants in recent months. In mid-September, the country declared a total border closure in order to build a canal from a shared river.
Recently, the Dominican Republic’s government erected a border wall inside its borders, leaving a strip of land to the west for patrols. This has caused confusion about the precise boundary on both sides.
The event happened a few days after US President Joe Biden and Dominican President Luis Abinader met at the White House to talk about Haiti’s security situation.
