Hundreds of obviously frustrated Haitians burst open the gates controlling access from Haiti to the bi-national market in Dajabon late last week. Shortly after, the market was nearly overrun by persons seeking to buy and sell their products.
Last week the latch on the gate had also been broken by Haitians but the Haitian authorities re-latched the doors and put locks back on the gates.
This time, the people used hammers and chisels to smash the locks, and then a semi-truck driver rammed the gate. A bit later on, the people completely tore off the steel gates and threw one of them in the Dajabon/Masacre River where the gate stayed over the weekend.
As a result of all of this, the binational market was very, very busy. Because of a major tie-up of vehicular traffic, few trucks from Haiti were able to get to the market and the people carried their merchandise back to Haiti any way possible: motorcycles, wheelbarrows, makeshift carts, and three-wheel cycles, and on their heads.
President Luis Abinader told reporters that the situation, which was supervised and secured by members of the Specialized Corps for Frontier Ground Security (Cesfront), was one in the hands of the Haitian government.
A pilot plan to use photographs and fingerprints to identify those who cross the border is also in place.
Haitians interviewed by the Listin Diario told the reporters that they had no problems getting to the binational market. Others told the reporters that they were not hassled by Haitian authorities when they returned home. Previously, the Haitian authorities had orders to seize and destroy the imported goods.
Nevertheless, days after, the authorities in Haiti restored the gate and the restrictions for Haitians to import lower-costing goods from across the border.
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El Dia
18 December 2023