Monday October 9, 2023, the Spokesperson for the Dominican Government, Homero Figueroa, unveiled new measures at the border following a meeting of the National Security Council:

- Activation of a fund from the Development and Export Bank (Bandex) to finance a vast agricultural mechanization program in order to reduce the hiring of illegal Haitian workers;

- Strengthening the militarization of the border to make access to our territory even more difficult for gang members fleeing the upcoming arrival of a multinational force;

- Maintaining the closure of the border to immigration indefinitely, to prevent the transit of people coming from Haitian territory.

- Indefinite extension of the suspension of the issuance of visas to Haitian citizens.

- Banning the export to Haiti of electronic products, cement, iron rebar and other construction materials to prevent the construction of structures that would threaten our environmental assets.

- Establishment of Provisional Trade Corridors (PTC), with strict military control measures and mandatory biometric registration, in the provinces of Dajabón, Elías Piña, Independencia and Pedernales to facilitate trade in essential Dominican products such as food and medications, especially for infants.

These measures will continue to be the new norm at the border until Haiti returns to normal governance...

Reopening under strict military control of border crossings on Wednesday October 11 from 8:00 a.m. local time (12:00 GMT).

The other measures will begin to be applied from Friday October 13 at 6:00 a.m.

The Haitian Government reacting to these measures recalls that an outcome will only be acceptable if it allows the equitable sharing of water resources, the normalization of relations between the two countries and the complete return to the movement of people and goods of both sides, as was the case between the two Republics before the unilateral closure of September 15.

SL/ HaitiLibre