Local March 25, 2024 - 11:32 am

Haitians cross Dominican border for food supplies

Dajabón, DR.- Hundreds of Haitians crossed the northern border into the Dominican Republic on Sunday. This departure from the usual market days, which traditionally occur between the two nations primarily on Mondays and Fridays each week.

Arriving en masse at the market in the Dominican city of Dajabón in the northwest, the Haitians sought to purchase essentials such as rice, eggs, chickens, canned foods, sausages, sugar, onions, and other food items, as confirmed by EFE.

Amid a notable presence of Dominican soldiers, buyers from the neighboring country were able to acquire their products without incident, while a Haitian police officer attempted to maintain order as they returned loaded with goods to the town of Ouanaminthe in the northeast, located just meters away from Dajabón.

The two nations are connected at this juncture by the Masacre or Dajabón river, traversed by a bridge shared by both countries, facilitating the journey for Haitians making purchases.

During this event, there was no observance of the biometric registration mandated by the Dominican Government for all individuals entering the country through this area, as well as the other three land entry points.

Despite the extreme violence engulfing the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince, where armed gangs control over 80% of the area, Haitian buyers from Ouanaminthe appear undeterred.

Although the Haitian National Police (PNH) has responded successfully to recent attacks by bandits on police stations and strategic locations like the National Palace, the situation remains precarious.

The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) recently reported that approximately 1.4 million Haitians are on the brink of famine, with over 4 million in need of food aid. Some individuals reportedly eat only once a day or go without food entirely.

On March 14, the spokesman for the General Secretariat of the United Nations, Stéphane Dujarric, urged the Dominican Republic and other countries to refrain from “forced deportations” of Haitians to an unsafe environment.

This call was reiterated by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) this week, urging countries not to deport fleeing Haitians but instead to welcome them as refugees.

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