Haitian Foreign Minister Jean Victor Géneaus held talks on Wednesday with his Dominican counterpart, Roberto Álvarez, following border tensions over the incursion into Haitian territory of soldiers from the neighboring country "supported by armored vehicles and a helicopter."
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According to the note of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship, the incident occurred, apparently, as a reaction to what the Dominican military considered a Haitian violation of its territory.
“In view of this situation, which caused great tension in the area and discontent among the population, the two foreign ministers agreed to work to calm the tension in order to avoid any escalation, pending a satisfactory solution in accordance with international law,” the communiqué said.
It also reiterated the willingness of the Haitian government to continue the dialogue and negotiations with the Dominican counterpart and called for calm and serenity.
The tweet reads, "The Haitian Foreign Minister, Jean Victor GÉNÉUS, held talks with his Dominican counterpart, Roberto ALVAREZ, following the events of Tuesday November 7, 2023, along the border at Ouanaminthe, during which Dominican troops violated Haitian air and land territory. They agreed to work to calm tensions in order to avoid any escalation, as stated in a press release issued on Wednesday 8th by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.'
Residents of Ouanaminthe on the border with the Dominican Republic erected barricades with burning tires along the road separating the two countries in protest against the actions of the neighboring army.
According to reports, the demonstrations paralyzed traffic and created an atmosphere of chaos in the northeastern city. They also accused the soldiers of pointing guns at defenseless citizens.
Former Secretary of State for Communication Frantx Exantus called the officers' incursion an act of war and called for building a strong state to face external provocations.
The event took place in the midst of diplomatic tensions between the countries over the construction of the irrigation canal which Santo Domingo believes will divert the Massacre river shared by the two nations, while Port-au-Prince denies such claim and maintains that the water intake will allow the irrigation of some three thousand hectares of the Maribaroux plain.
According to official data, the Haitian government reaffirmed its right to use the shared water resources and recently reiterated its willingness to solve the conflict through diplomatic channels.