Dominican Republic allows some Haiti flights as OAS arrives to meet about border dispute
After banning all air travel with neighboring Haiti in a diplomatic row over the construction of a canal on Haitian soil, authorities in the Dominican Republic have relaxed their stance.
But Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader says a decision announced on Monday by his Civil Aviation Board to lift a Sept. 15 ban on flights between the two countries, which share the island of Hispaniola, only applies to some individuals in Haiti, principally Haitian diplomats and Haitian nationals with Dominican visas who already had flight reservations.
“It is a fairly small group,” he said about as he spoke about the issue during his weekly press conference on Monday.
The dispute between the two neighbors erupted in September after a group of Haitian farmers, former lawmakers and officials in the administration of late President Jovenel Moïse began completing construction of a canal in northeast Haiti using the waters of the Massacre River. The river separates the Haitian city of Ouanaminthe and the Dominican city of Dajabón along the border.
Accusing the group of diverting water from Dominican farmers, Abinader announced the shutdown of land, sea and air connections between the two countries as of Sept. 15. He also announced the cancellations of visas for Haitians and barred Haitian politicians and former government officials, whom he accused of being behind the construction, from entering the Dominican Republic.
The Civil Aviation Board of the Dominican Republic announced that it was lifting some of its restrictions effective Monday, the same day that a commission from the Organization of American States arrived in Port-au-Prince to gather information about the conflict, which has led to reduction in health services in Haiti and the loss of millions of dollars for businesses.
Despite the border closure, the Dominican Republic had continued to allow one airline, Air Caraibes, to travel through its airspace from Port-au-Prince with tourists coming from Paris and headed to Punta Cana.
In a meeting with journalists on Monday, Abinader acknowledged the visit by the OAS commission, which also visited Santo Domingo on Oct. 16, and clarified his civil aviation agency’s decision. The measure maintains the same level of control the Dominican Republic instituted on Oct. 16, he said, when he announced the loosening of the land border to allow essential goods and trade to cross— but would continue to block Haitians from crossing.
A press release about the relaxation of the border restriction said that Abinader established a Provisional Commercial Corridors “to facilitate progress toward the minimum conditions that would allow for diplomatic dialogue.”
“These conditions must also include a cessation of work on the canal due to the social, environmental and economic risks associated with it, as well as the establishment of all facilities necessary for the Organization of American States to mediate the dispute,” the release said.
Haiti has continued to maintain its side of the 244-mile border closed and continued construction of the canal, which has become a source of national pride, as hundreds of Haitians visit the site to lend a hand.
Among those who recently visited was William O’Neill, the independent human rights expert for the United Nations. Video of the visit show a crowd of Haitians surrounding him, while passionately expressing their support for the canal and objection to the Dominican Republic’s treatment of Haitians.
During a press conference on Tuesday about his visit, O’Neill said he continues to hear reports of the disastrous impact of the border closure on access to health, water and food in Haiti.
“I reiterate my call for dialogue and the passage of aid to protect vulnerable populations from the dramatic humanitarian impact of this measure,” he said.
Frustrated around Haiti’s continued closure of its side of the border, a group of Dominican protesters recently broke through the immigration gates in Dajabón, which leads to Ouanaminthe, where the canal is located
