A Dominican surveyor was forcibly detained by Haitian border guards on Wednesday, 28 August 2024 in the afternoon while conducting a survey for a bridge construction project near the border. Samuel Castro Rojas was later released and handed over to the Dominican Army.
Tension was high at the Dajabón border following the incident. According to fellow surveyor Alfredo Figueroa, Castro Rojas was working in an area near the perimeter fence to measure for the new bridge when Haitian Border Surveillance Brigade (BSAP) approached and violently apprehended him accusing him of surveying in Haiti.
The BSAP is responsible for monitoring the construction of the canal that separates the waters of the Massacre River between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Castro Rojas said he was forcibly restrained and transported with handcuffs to a jail in Ouanaminthe (Juana Mendez), where he was interrogated about who had sent him to breach Haitian territory. Castro Rojas maintained that he did not realize he had entered the neighboring country.
During the hour-long interrogation with the Haitians, Castro Rojas explained to them he was unaware of the sensitivity of the area and would not have approached if he had known. The incident occurred in the area of the Masacre/Dajabon River canal, a major point of difference between both countries after the death of President Jovenel Moise.
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El Dia
Diario Libre
29 August 2024