Dominican Republic boosts border security as Haiti tensions simmer

The Dominican Republic announced on Tuesday that it would increase security at its northern border with Haiti in response to an incident that it deemed a “provocation.” The government stated that a group of Haitians had entered Dominican territory and interfered with an army patrol.

Homero Figueroa, a spokesperson for the Dominican government, stated on messaging platform X that while the situation did not escalate, the army would be increasing the number of soldiers and vehicles in the area as a preventive measure.

Figueroa mentioned that the situation appeared to be the result of a misunderstanding by Haitian citizens regarding the border limits. He also emphasized that the Dominican Army has full authority to patrol the area.

Contradicting the Dominican government’s account, Haitian media reported that Dominican soldiers had crossed the border into Haiti and aimed guns at locals.

Unverified videos circulating on social media showed a helicopter circling the border, with Haitian and Dominican soldiers standing near a border wall and a burning tire emitting a column of black smoke.

A spokesperson for the Haitian government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Figueroa described the action as a provocation by the Dominican government, with the aim of potentially sparking a conflict.

In response to the worsening gang violence in Haiti, the Dominican Republic had recently strengthened its border security and increased migrant deportations. In mid-September, it also announced a complete border shutdown due to the construction of a canal from a shared river.

Furthermore, Dominican authorities had recently erected a border wall inside its territory, leaving a strip of land for patrols to the west. This has led to misunderstandings on both sides regarding the exact border.

The incident on Tuesday occurred just days after Dominican President Luis Abinader met with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House, where they discussed the security situation in Haiti.

(Reporting by Harold Isaac in Port-au-Prince, Octavio Jones in Tampa and Sarah Morland in Mexico City; Editing by Anthony Esposito and Leslie Adler)