Dominica closes all borders with Haiti, analysts worry it could affect economic development in both countries
Hangzhou Net Release time: 2023-09-17 15:18
CCTV News Client News On the 15th local time, the Dominican Republic officially closed its land, sea and air borders with neighboring Haiti. The Dominican government said the move was in response to Haiti’s recent move to dig a canal to draw water from the border waters between the two countries.
On the 15th local time, despite the Dominican Republic announcing a resolution to close the border, Haitian people living near the Massac River, the border river between the two countries, continued to dig canals. They said that water shortage has affected local food production, and building the canal can alleviate the drought and help them solve their food problem.
Haitian border residents: We don’t have enough food anymore due to lack of water. Our country originally had a lot of food, fruits, etc. to eat, but the fields were affected by lack of water, which is why we support the digging of canals.
Dominican Republic President Abinadel said that Haiti’s construction of the canal violated the relevant agreements between the two countries. In addition, diverting river water will have a negative impact on Dominican agriculture and the surrounding environment. The Haitian government insists that the construction of the canal falls within the scope of Haiti’s sovereignty and that Haiti can decide how to use its natural resources.
Some analysts pointed out that the decision to close the border is likely to have an impact on the economic development of the two countries, and Haiti will be the more affected party. The Dominican Republic has recently suspended the issuance of visas to Haitian citizens and closed one of the most important border crossings, Dajaon, where Haitians usually trade goods with Dominican merchants. This passage is very important to the Haitian economy. On the 14th, people who wanted to enter Dominica from here had already lined up. Haiti is reportedly the second largest export destination for Dominica. Export volume in 2022 will reach US$1.04 billion (approximately RMB 7.6 billion).
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2023-09-17 07:18:00
