Wednesday December 6, 2023, accompanied by several members of the Government, Prime Minister a.i. Ariel Henry, held an important working session with the main local authorities of the North-East department (delegates, vice-delegates, mayors and departmental directors, judges, Government Commissioners).

This meeting was an opportunity to take stock of the situation developing in the border area and to provide avenues for the search for a lasting solution to the dispute between the Dominican Republic and the Republic of Haiti.

The Prime Minister and the ministers present reiterated the Government's position regarding the inalienable rights of the Haitian State to equitably exploit shared water resources, in strict compliance with international treaties signed by the two Republics in this area.

The Head of Government strongly urged local authorities to avoid any individual decision and to favor a collective and consensual approach, in concert with central power, with a view to better harmonization of the actions to be undertaken.

Ariel Henry, also reaffirmed his firm desire to guarantee better control of the border lines and to do everything to resume dialogue with the Dominican Republic with a view to normalizing relations between the two peoples.

Thursday, December 7 seeking to reopen the border, civil and military authorities as well as Dominican traders gathered in the Catholic Church with officials from Ounaminthe to try to resume binational trade.

Present at the meeting were PoliFRONT leader of Northeast Haiti, Dolan Bolssi, as well as Ouanaminthe customs inspector Michael Gerald, who said thesolution to closing the border was not not in their hands.

The President of the Federation of Merchants of Dajabón, Freddy Morrillo, declared that through the Dominican consulate in Ouanaminthe and the Haitian consulate in Dajabón, they will call in the coming days the authorities of the two countries to seek a solution to reopen the binational trade at this border post.

Governor Rosalba Milagros Peña, who chaired the meeting, affirmed that the other border crossings are open (local decision), with the exception of Ouanaminthe and that they will continue the dialogue to find a solution. Priest Roberto Guzmán, who served as mediator for the reopening of the border, said at the end of the meeting that they will soon meet with all Haitian authorities in Ouanamithe to try to end the conflict.

HL/ S/ HaitiLibre