Santo Domingo.- The Dominican Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced significant progress in discussions held yesterday regarding the conflict arising from the construction of a canal on the Haitian side. The canal has the potential to divert the Masacre River’s course.
Delegations from both the Dominican Republic and Haiti met at the Foreign Ministry to address the issue. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mirex) confirmed that a Haitian delegation arrived in the Dominican Republic to participate in a meeting of the Binational Water Table, held in conjunction with the Dominican counterpart. The focus of the meeting was the Dominican request to stop the construction of the canal in Haiti, which aims to redirect water from the Dajabón River.
The statement mentions that progress was made during these conversations, leading to an agreement to continue discussions today at the headquarters of the Dominican Foreign Ministry.
Earlier in the day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship of Haiti had announced that representatives of both countries would meet in Santo Domingo to address the issue and seek a definitive solution.
The Dominican government had issued an ultimatum demanding a halt to the construction of the canal, which could divert water from the Masacre River. If a resolution is not reached during these ongoing talks, President Luis Abinader has declared a border closure. This closure includes suspending binational trade by air, land, and sea.
Despite diplomatic efforts, work on the canal continued throughout the night, with increasing support from Haitians present at the construction site.
The Dajabón border remained closed and peaceful, with limited cross-border commercial activities. The Ministry of Agriculture of the Dominican Republic was preparing to assist local merchants affected by the closure of the binational market. The closure has been in effect for over a week and has caused significant losses.
The Dominican government’s position on this issue has generated differing opinions on both sides of the border. Some members of the Order of Jesuit Fathers in Dajabón criticized the suspension of commercial exchange and urged the government to share binational water resources with Haiti to support the canal’s construction.