Dominican Republic Closes Haitian Border After Dispute of Canal Construction

At the Border of Haiti and the Dominican Republic (Wikimedia Commons)

On September 14, 2023, the Dominican Republic closed all air, land, and sea borders with its Hispaniola counterpart, Haiti. President Luis Abinader stated that the border would be closed for “as long as necessary,” stating that the construction of the canal on the Massacre River violates the 1929 Peace Treaty.

Haiti began construction of the canal previously but then had postponed the construction of the canal after the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse in July of 2021.

The 1929 Treaty of Peace, Friendship, and Arbitration demarcates the border of the countries in relation to the Massacre River and establishes “the rights of both nations to use the waters of all the rivers located along the border fairly and equitably.” Abinader claims that the construction of the canal goes against this treaty.

The Dominican government claims that the canal will divert water from the local farmers and populations that need it. According to the Haitian government, there were talks between the two countries which led to the Joint Declaration of 2021. At this point, the construction of the canal was not considered a government project.

During these talks, both delegations agreed to establish a report “to enhance understanding of the work conducted in the border area within the framework of the Environment and Agriculture Subcommittee of the Bilateral Mixed Commission.” This established “a binational technical group responsible for managing water resources” along the shared border.

Furthermore, the Joint Declaration states that “the canal did not ‘consist of a diversion of the river bed’ and did not violate the 1929 Treaty.” (Washington Post) President Abinader clarified that the commission had approved “the creation of a technical table to discuss all water resources along the border in accordance with the provisions of the 1929 Treaty.”

However, the DR “requested that Haitian authorities immediately cease the resumption of construction on a canal intended to divert water from the Massacre River.” The government of Haiti resumed its support in the construction of the canal in September 2023.

The response of the UN has been against the shutdown of the borders as it closes access to humanitarian aid. Many of the organizations that aid Haiti reside in the DR due to unsafe conditions present within Haiti’s territory, such as gang violence.

The US ICE has begun deporting Haitians back to Haiti while urging its own citizens to leave the country. However, the US delegation in the UN Security Council has stated that it supports Kenya in providing aid to Haiti in order to control gang violence.

The implications of the border shutdown are severe. The recent relationship between the countries has been chilly, the shutdown escalated tensions even more drastically. 

Many Haitians work for enterprises across the border but will no longer be able to have a source of income for an indefinite period of time. According to the Dominican Today, Haiti receives 25 percent of its food from the DR.

The economic stress and strife that Haiti will induce will further put the country back. Along with the natural disasters and rampant gang violence that Haiti faces, the closing of the 220-mile border will devastate the economy and lives of many Haitians. 

According to the former president of the Dominican Republic, Leonel Fernandez, shutting down the border is “akin to a ‘call to war.’”