A military deployment arrived in cities like San Francisco de Macoris and Santiago on Sunday, with dozens of agents in Army vehicles and visible weapons, amidst a call for a strike in the Cibao region. The movement has raised social demands, including public services and construction. The Ministry of Defense’s operation, Plan Huron, aims to “guarantee peace and tranquility.” At least 3,000 agents were sent to the streets of Santiago and a similar number in San Francisco de Macoris.
The Unity and Progress Front for Struggle has called for the strike due to the government’s failure to comply with demands. The strike aims to address issues like the aqueduct in Navarrete, the completion of the hospital and diagnostic center remodeling, the regularization of water, and the completion of schools. Citizens are urged to stay at home and not attend work to support the strike. Raquel Rivera criticized the government’s response to the strike and its little capacity to address the problems of the Cibao region.
The demands also include reducing food, medicine, gasoline, and electricity, salary increases, employment generation policies, opposition to water privatization, and environmental protection.