Diplomatic crisis over a river threatens border closures between Haiti, Dominican Republic
A dispute over a critical waterway separating Haiti and the Dominican Republic is threatening to spill over into a diplomatic crisis this week, with Santo Domingo threatening to shut down its land, air and sea crossings with Haiti.
Dominican President Luis Abinader’s government issued the threat this week after accusing Haitians of constructing a canal on the Massacre River in northeastern Haiti in violation of a nearly century-old treaty agreement between the two nations that share the island of Hispaniola.
With the shutdown threatened for Thursday, Haiti deployed a delegation of technicians late Wednesday afternoon for Santo Domingo to discuss the water resources shared by the two countries, Haiti’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
They were trying to find “a just and definitive solution to the problem” over the equitable use of the Massacre River, the ministry said in a brief statement.
The development has caught the attention of U.S. officials, who are attempting to connect with the two sides before any drastic actions are taken. The U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo has alerted Americans of the possible border shutdown, warning that if the borders close they will not have the ability to cross between the two countries and will need to make alternative arrangements. The embassy also noted that that the Dajabón-Ouanaminthe and Elias Piña-Belladere land border crossings are already closed.
The possible water war has repercussions beyond northern Haiti, where the Massacre River straddles the Dominican city of Dajabón and the Haitian city of Ouanaminthe and was the site of the execution of thousands of Haitians by Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo in 1937. The killing became known as the Parsley Massacre.
Haiti is the Dominican Republic’s third-largest trading partner. The Dominican Republic exports $1 billion in goods to Haiti and imports about $11 million. The Dominican Republic’s Central Bank said the informal trade that takes place along the border brings in another $430 million.
In question in the conflict is Haiti’s right to the water, and whether either action — the threatened shutdown or the canal’s construction —is in violation of a 1929 agreement that established the rights of both nations to fairly and equitably use the waters of rivers straddling the border.
The waterway has always been a source of conflict between the two nations. Haitians in the past have accused Dominicans of acting unilaterally with their own construction and in violation of the treaty. In 2021 Haiti President Jovenel Moïse started construction of a canal and was forced to stop after Dominican authorities protested.
That year, the two governments came to a new agreement specifically about the Massacre River, forming a Binational Water Sector technical commission and agreeing neither side would act unilaterally. But Dominicans insisted that first the construction had to stop. Moïse was assassinated shortly after and the Cuban firm doing the work suspended construction because of lack of payment. Recently the work began again as a private initiative using farmers.
Dominican authorities say the current canal construction is the work of private individuals seeking to profit off the river’s water. Haitian government sources say it is possible some politicians, seeking to curry favor and undermine a weak central government, are fanning the flames.
The pending border closures were announced Monday. Dominican authorities announced they had suspended the entry of all persons involved in the conflict, ceased issuing visas to Haitian citizens until further notice and maintained the total closure of the border at Dajabón.
If the conflict is not resolved by Thursday, the Dominican Republic also said it would completely close the border for land, sea and air commerce, according to a government statement.
This story was originally published September 14, 2023 at 5:30 AM.
