The newly appointed Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Albert Ramdin, toured the entire border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti (about 391 km) accompanied by the Minister of Defense, Lt. General Fernandez Onofre. The group traveled from Pedernales in the south to Montecristi in the north, observing the different checkpoints and migration controls along the border.
The Secretary General later spoke at the VIII Ministerial Meeting on Public Security that took place in Santiago de los Caballeros. In his comments, Ramdin echoed previous statements made by Dominican Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez and President Luis Abinader, in the sense that the international community needs to step up its efforts to bring peace and stability to Haiti. He was emphatic in calling for hemispheric cooperation to guarantee public access to justice.
Meanwhile, President Gustavo Petro of Colombia visited Haiti on Friday, 18 July 2025. This is his second visit to Haiti, a first was in January 2025 to Jacmel. This time he landed at the Toussaint Loverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince. 17 Colombian mercenaries are still in jail accused of participating in the assassination of former President Jovenel Moise in 2021.
As reported in AP News, Petro met with Haiti’s prime minister and its transitional presidential council behind closed doors. A statement from Colombia’s government noted they would review bilateral projects focused on security, commerce, education, agriculture and the fight against drug trafficking.
Petro’s administration has offered to train Haitian officers, and Haitian delegations have visited a state-owned arms manufacturing company in Colombia to learn about its defense capabilities.
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Diario Libre
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Miami Herald
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Listin Diario
21 July 2025