Abinader warns that he will be harsh with provocation of Haitians at the border

Santo Domingo.- President Luis Abinader has strongly condemned the recent incident on the Dominican-Haitian border, where Haitian police launched tear gas bombs and entered Dominican territory to seize and destroy merchandise sold in an informal market near Dajabón. Abinader described this incursion as a provocation and emphasized that the Dominican government will take a firm stance in response to such incidents.

During a press conference in San Pedro de Macorís, Abinader mentioned that the Dominican Foreign Ministry is preparing a diplomatic complaint to the Haitian government regarding the situation. He clarified that the incident occurred in an informal market approximately five or six kilometers from the Dajabón border gate.

The president assured that Dajabón is well-protected, with a sufficient number of Army members and armored equipment guarding the border, along with a protective wall. He emphasized that the southern border has been functioning smoothly, with biometric checks in place to manage migration.

Regarding the incident, Major General Carlos Antonio Fernández Onofre, the head of the Dominican Army, explained that it was a provocation involving individuals who had participated in a previous event. Haitian police officers, accompanied by a mob, entered the market and seized merchandise from Haitian merchants, which led to a response from the Dominican military. The Haitian police officers retreated to their territory once the Dominican Armed Forces arrived, and the situation returned to normal.

Abinader also addressed other topics during the press conference, including the conflict within the Bar Association (CARD) following its recent elections and an inmate’s access to a phone for a radio interview, which he found unacceptable and called for an investigation by the Minister of the Interior and Police.