Illegal sand extraction damaging Masacre River

Dajabón, DR.- In the La Sal sector of Dajabón, foreigners are often seen collecting sand from the river with buckets, which they pile up on the shore and then load onto trucks for sale in Juana Méndez and nearby areas in Haiti. This practice has been ongoing for over four years.

Due to the configuration of the river along several kilometers of the Dominican-Haitian border, the heavily armed Dominican military are unable to prevent the serious environmental damage being caused to the Masacre River by the Haitians.

The Masacre River originates in the Pico del Gallo mountain in Loma de Cabrera, Dajabón province, and flows into Manzanillo Bay in Monte Cristi province.