The Dominican Republic shut all land, air and sea borders with Haiti on Friday in a dispute about construction of a canal on Haitian soil that taps into a shared river, as armed Dominican soldiers patrolled entry points and military planes roared overhead.
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President Luis Abinader announced in the wake of a conflict arising from the construction of a water canal originating from a shared river.
"As of 6 a.m. (1000GMT), tomorrow, Friday, the entire border of the Dominican Republic both land, sea and air will be closed," Abinader said Thursday at a military camp, where he delivered 20 armored command and transport vehicles to the army.
"It will be closed for as long as necessary for this provocative action to stop," he added.
Officials from both nations convened on Wednesday in the Dominican Republic to address a dispute that arose from the use of the Massacre River, which runs along their shared border on the island of Hispaniola.
Dominican authorities claim the canal would divert water from the river, causing harm to local farmers and the environment.
Santo Domingo had already suspended the issuance of visas to Haitian nationals earlier in the week and closed the Dajabon border crossing, one of the most important, where a binational market operates twice a week.
"It is a totally inadequate construction, without any kind of engineering. It is a provocation that this government will not accept," said Abinader.
He emphasized that the construction of the canal on the river violates a 1929 treaty.
Flights were canceled and border towns usually teeming with vendors and Haitians crossing daily to work in the Dominican Republic were subdued.
Crowds of people on the Haitian side gathered under the shade of trees as they observed the scene on Friday. Nearby, a white flag fluttered in the breeze under a Haitian flag in a sign of peace.
Abinader ordered his administration to buy all perishable goods normally exported to Haiti, including chicken, onions, beans and eggplants. The food will be used for government programs that offer free meals to students and others, according to Joel Santos, minister of the presidency. ■