Thursday, June 15, 2023, in the afternoon, a violent incident occurred in the free zone of the Industrial Development Corporation (CODEVI), located in Ouanaminthe, border town with the Dominican province of Dajabón.

Until now, the reasons behind this incident which left 2 Haitians dead and a dozen injured and many damages remain confused and contradictory, several investigations have been opened. Gunshots, scenes of looting, the burning of the facilities of a CODEVI plastic recycling plant, the destruction of a vehicle, sowed panic among CODEVI workers.

The situation forced the safe evacuation of all personnel from the free zone (5% Dominicans and 95% Haitians) and the zone was militarized. The incident also led to the intervention of the National Police of Haiti (PNH) and the Haitian Border Police (PoliFRONT)

The Dominican army and the Specialized Land Border Security Corps (CESFRONT) have reinforced surveillance of the entire Dominican border area on the Dajabón side. A Dominican military contingent stationed around the free zone is ready to intervene if necessary.

Last minutes : We are told that unidentified individuals "in retaliation" for the death of the two Haitian workers... have set fire to the border police station (PoliFRONT), a local clinic and looted warehouses and a gas tank depot LPG…

In a press release dated the same day, the management of CODEVI explains :

"Compagnie Développement Industriel, CODEVI, regrets to inform the population of the Republic of Haiti that today an altercation occurred between the National Police of Haiti and some employees of our company. The exact causes are still under investigation by our administration as we have not been involved in these events.

We have successfully evacuated all personnel and have temporarily ceased operations until the situation is clarified.

We categorically reject any act of violence and remain committed to the protection and safety of our employees. We will provide support to those affected by these external circumstances beyond our control. "

Let's recall that in September 2022, CODEVI was also the victim of an attack https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-37771-haiti-flash-incident-in-the-free-zone-of-codevi-workers-evacuated-under-protection.html

To be continued...

See also :

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-37776-icihaiti-dr-strong-militarization-near-covid-ounaminthe-dajabon-border-area.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-37771-haiti-flash-incident-in-the-free-zone-of-codevi-workers-evacuated-under-protection.html

S/ HaitiLibre