Dominican Republic announces closure of border with Haiti The alien show before the Mexican Congress was so bizarre

The Dominican Republic wants to close its border with Haiti due to a dispute over the use of a river. From 6 a.m. Friday (local time), the border by land, sea and air will remain closed, Dominican President Luis Abinader announced on Thursday. He did not give an end date for the measure. Because work was underway on an irrigation canal on the Haitian side of the Dajabón River, also called Río Masacre and part of the border, Abinader had threatened to make the move in recent days.

But talks with the neighboring country continued, the 56-year-old centrist politician emphasized. However, the Haitian government is having trouble maintaining control over its territory.

The two countries share the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. A 1929 agreement regulates the sharing of the border river. According to Abinader’s government, the canal in Haiti violates these and other border agreements by diverting river water.

The Dominican Republic is a popular holiday destination. In Haiti, on the other hand, there is political chaos and brutal violence by various gangs, which, according to UN estimates, control 80 percent of the capital Port-au-Prince. According to the United Nations, almost half of Haiti’s 11 million residents are suffering from acute hunger.

It is estimated that at least half a million Haitians live in the neighboring country, which also has a total population of around eleven million. Dominican Republic authorities deport thousands of them every month. The Dominican government has been building a wall along the approximately 400 kilometer long land border since last year. (sda/dpa)