RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Dominican Republic will begin construction of the new border fence with Haiti in three months. President Luis Abinader announced Sunday, four days after the assassination of his Haitian counterpart, Jovenel Moise.
During a visit to military installations in Constanza (center), Abinader announced that the new fence is already in the bidding process and said he expects that “in the next few weeks it will be awarded”, to be able to start the works “in about three months”.
The construction of a fence along most of the 380 kilometers long border with Haiti was formally announced by Abinader last February during his accountability speech before the National Assembly.
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The fence will be doubled in the most critical places along the border. It will be equipped with technological devices to inhibit the passage of migrants, drug trafficking, smuggling and the theft of vehicles and livestock.
Currently, the border has at least 23 kilometers of fence, built by the Dominican Republic discreetly in the last two years, in the areas of the Jimaní and El Carrizal border crossings.
Abinader also assured this Sunday that the border is “in total peace” and is “totally secured” thanks to the military operation launched last Wednesday after the news of the assassination in Haiti.
In relation to the crisis in the neighboring country, Abinader affirmed that “the international community must have a much more active attitude than it has had until now.”
“I recommend that the entire international community has to take care of Haiti. They have to make a plan for the good of the Haitians,” he commented.
The governor explained that the Dominican Republic is willing to “facilitate any mediation” on the Haitian crisis but that “for obvious reasons,” it cannot participate directly in any negotiations affecting the country with which it shares an island.
In response to questions from the press, he clarified that Haiti had not asked the Dominican Republic for help to collaborate in the investigations of the assassination of Jovenel Moise, in which Colombia and the United States are going to participate.