Dominican Republic, Haiti mayors in talks to ease tensions

Santo Domingo.- The mayors of the five major border towns on Tues. called the situation in their communities unsustainable “for the Haitianization” in those places, where the foreigners consume a large part of the city council budgets.

They say they face many difficulties to deal with the problems in their municipalities due to the low budget and lack of equipment or logistics to solve them.

The mayors from Elías Piña, Dajabón, Monte Cristi, Pedernales and Jimaní were interviewed in a gathering hosted by outlet Listín Diario and headed by its editor-in-chief Miguel Franjul.

“We are the retaining wall for immigration. We only need opportunities, to support us so that Dominicans don’t have to migrate to the cities,” said Miguel Cruz, mayor of Dajabón.

To solve the small, day-to-day problems in the border towns the mayors have formed committees, together with their Haitian counterparts in the same area.

That’s why before they turn into big problems, like the recent tension in Pedernales, the mayors from both countries are talking among themselves.

The most common cases, they affirm, are the thefts of motorcycles and crops, and cattle rustling, and confrontations between fishermen in Montecristi and Pedernales.