01 January, 2004
February 17, 2004
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic – The Dominican government on Monday called for more international assistance to quell the Haitian uprising, saying the violence could hurt the Caribbean region.
“The situation in Haiti, if it persits, may cause thousands to want to flee the country by attempting to cross the borders into the Dominican Republic,” said Ulrick Gaillard, Executive Director of the Batey Relief Alliance.
Meanwhile, authorities suspended an open air border market frequented by hundreds of Haitians and Dominicans because of tensions over the killings of two Dominican soldiers last weekend. “Humanitarian groups, including the Batey Relief Alliance, need to start thinking now of concrete strategies to address human needs should the situation worsened,” added Gaillard.
Secretary of Foreign Relations Frank Guerrero Prats said Monday the situation in Haiti wouldn’t be solved without the help of other countries. “It’s time for the international community, multilateral organizations and friendly governments to act with urgency to combat a worsening crisis that could be detrimental for the entire region,” Guerrero said in a statement, responding to written questions by The Associated Press.
Groups opposing Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide began an armed rebellion Feb. 5. So far, 56 people have been killed. The Dominican Republic would not be able to alone handle the possible consequences of escalating violence in Haiti, such as a mass exodus of Haitians crossing the border, Guerrero said.
“Haiti can’t be left alone, and the Dominican Republic can’t continue to be the only country to bear the burden of the Haitian crisis,” he said, without giving details of what type of assistance the government was seeking. The two countries share the island of Hispaniola, separated by a 225-mile border that is desolate and not patrolled in many areas. The Dominican government estimates that 1 million Haitians live in the Dominican Republic, many illegally.
As the crisis in Haiti has worsened, the Dominican military has repeatedly announced reinforcements at the border. On Saturday, two Dominican soldiers were shot dead in Dajabon, a major border crossing about 150 miles northeast of the capital, Santo Domingo. The soldiers’ weapons were stolen, leading military officials to speculate it could have been Haitian opposition groups trying to shore up arms. The military is investigating. Fears of more attacks, or retribution, were enough to cancel the Dajabon market that normally comes alive on Mondays. “Since those soldiers were killed there are people in town who are saying they want to take revenge on Haitians,” said Father Regino Mendez, who runs Jesuit Services for Refugees in Dajabon. “This morning there was a lot of anxiousness and people just didn’t show up.” The Dominican military, which controls the flow of Haitians into the market, did not return calls.
“The Batey Relief Alliance is monitoring the situation closely — and ready to mobilize its partners, members and donors into setting up concrete plans and strategies to prepare an effective assistance response should there be a need,” concluded Gaillard.
