Life in the normally uneventful border towns is suffering from the impact of the political, social, economic and humanitarian crisis in neighboring Haiti.
Now that the gangs interventions have reduced to a minimum the normal distribution of fuel in Haiti, thousands of micro-trafficking of the fuel is happening and affecting the border towns.
Senator Lorenzo of Elías Piña said that informal fuel providers cross to stock up on the fuel for resale in Haiti at two or three times the value in the Dominican Republic.
As reported in N Digital, Lorenzo urged: “If the government, for humanitarian reasons, is going to supply fuel to Haiti, it needs to do so in the Haitian side, in the nearest town to Elías Piña.” He said that what is happening now “is that we are practically inviting the Haitian people to invade us and there is no peace. The chaos is taking over this province.”
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defense reports that several main border cross points have new gates.
In its coverage on Haiti, Listin Diario reports that the controversial construction of a irrigation channel on the Haitian side of the border with the Dominican Republic was paralyzed after the murder of former President Jovenel Moise. Dominican farmers had complained the channel would divert waters of the Masacre River needed for farming and cattle ranching in the Dominican Republic. Nevertheless, farmers on the Dominican side say they are affected by the poachers that cross the border to steal their crops and cattle, especially in the evenings.
An editorial in Diario Libre presses the point that criminal gang leader Jimmy Cherizier (Barbecue) is calling the shots in Haiti. The editorial points out that Barbecue controls when the supplies of fuel are delivered, if people are kidnapped or ransom, if there is crime in the capital or not. “Alas it is Mr. Barbecue who today is the only figure with real power in the convulsing neighboring nation,” reads the editorial. The editorialist suggests the time may have come to sit down to talks with Barbecue.
The Presidency continues to report on the high cost of birthing tourism from Haiti in the Dominican Republic. Still, it doesn’t give insights to efforts to combat people smuggling from the border.
Read more in Spanish:
N Digital
El Nacional
Diario Libre
El Nacional
Listin Diario
Hoy
Diario Libre
Presidency
El Dia
15 November 2021