The tense situation after a recent violent interruption of work at the huge Codevi manufacturing facility on the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic on Thursday, 29 September 2022 has calmed down. A mob affected the factory facilities on the Haitian side of the border. The incident was so important that the Minister of Defense, Lt. General Carlos Diaz Morfa went to the area to conduct a personal survey of the situation.
The Industrial Development Corporation (Codevi) is located in Ouanaminthe on the Haitian side of the frontier. It employs around 14,000 Haitian workers.
Although the details are sketchy, it appears that the origin of the riot was an accident involving workers, a Haitian municipal official and the lack of medical supplies at the factory to deal with the injuries of the mob assault.
The mayor of Dajabon said that the local union was trying to escalate the situation, and the end result was the closure of the factory premises, and the bi-national market in Dajabon.
Dominican congresswoman Sonia Agüero said that local citizens have trouble obtaining fuels since the gas stations have long lines of Haitians waiting to fill up their containers. She noted that Haitians are buying properties in Dajabon, setting up small businesses, and establishing their own churches. Finally, she noted that although Dajabon has been militarized.
This is the first time that disturbances have occurred at the Codevi factories, that have their own security protocols. According to the Hoy newspaper, there is currently a tense calm over the area, with 1,500 soldiers from the elite security detachments of the Dominican army on hand in armored cars. These troops have been accompanied by helicopters and aircraft from the armed forces. Both the commander officer of the Fourth Batallion headquartered in Dajabon, as well as the army commanding general, Major General Carlos A. Fernandez, coincide in the fact that there is a tense calm in the area after the workers broke windows and destroyed some of the Codevi vehicles.
Read more in Spanish:
Hoy
Listin Diario
3 October 2022