Abinader added that a second phase will be put out to tender during the second half of this year. In total, it will consist of 187 kilometers of wall, covering 49% of the 380 kilometers of the Dominican-Haitian border.
DAJABÓN.– Yesterday, President Luis Abinader broke ground on the historic border wall, which aims to establish greater controls between the neighboring Haitian people and the border with Dajabón, a province located in the Northwest of the Dominican Republic.
The project, in its first stage, will have 160 kilometers of physical fence consisting of a reinforced concrete wall and a metal structure 3.90 meters high, for patrolling by the more than 10,000 military personnel stationed on the borders.
It will have 170 surveillance and control towers, in addition to 71 access gates. The first phase will consist of 54 kilometers of physical fencing with 19 surveillance towers, 10 access gates with 54 patrol roads, and will be built in about nine months; with an investment of more than RD$1.75 billion.
illegal migration and border crimes date back to 2019. (External source).
Furthermore, it includes the first stage, the placement of technology to make it intelligent, which involves the installation of motion and thermal sensors, security cameras, high-capacity military-type drones, among other features.
In the coming days, Abinader indicated that an advanced biometric control system will be installed for registering people. The software, designed by a German company, uses the ABIS system, which combines fingerprints with photographs, allowing for the identification of a person with a minimal margin of error.
"This is a fence that will benefit both countries because it will allow us to control bilateral trade, regulate migration flows to combat human trafficking mafias, confront drug trafficking and the illegal sale of weapons, as well as protect the livestock and crops of cattle ranchers and agricultural producers. With this, we will combat in different ways the organized crime that has sought to establish its base of operations along the border of both countries, so the benefit for both nations will be of great importance," Abinader argued.
right: Haiti. (Photo: Diario Libre).
He stated that he has information, albeit unofficial, that the contractors have indicated it could be completed in seven months. Abinader added that a second phase will be put out to tender during the second half of this year. In total, 187 kilometers of wall will be built, covering 49% of the 380 kilometers of the Dominican-Haitian border.
Haiti: constant insecurity
Relations between the Dominican Republic and neighboring countries have been characterized by constant tensions, especially due to the crossing of Haitian nationals into the Dominican Republic through border crossings.
Since last July, when President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated, tensions have not eased in the neighboring country, where insecurity is increasingly taking over its streets, with gangs that have maintained control over urban areas.
Last Friday, the United Nations (UN) released a report stating that "Violence continues to plunge Haiti into anarchy and pain.".
The border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti stretches for about 380 kilometers, and according to the announcement made by the president on February 27, 2021, the wall will be doubled in the most critical places along the border.
The Armed Forces have built10,000meters of border fence with Haiti since 2019
Efforts to protect the Dominican-Haitian border from illegal migration and border crimes by means of a perimeter wall date back to the last government of former President Danilo Medina, specifically to the year 2019, according to a report published by Listín Diario.
On that date, the government in power began construction of a 2,000-meter-long fence in Pedernales; however, it was destroyed a year later as a result of the Pedernales River overflowing due to Tropical Storm Laura passing through the area, according to the Ministry of Defense.
In parallel, 4,650 meters of border fence were built in Independencia province and another 3,350 were erected in Elías Piña.
The Ministry said that of those latter projects, the administration of President Luis Abinader, who took office in 2020, contributed to the construction of 1,100 meters of perimeter fence in Jimaní and a total of 1,300 in Elías Piña.
In July 2021, the EFE news agency reported that the border between the two countries already had at least 23 kilometers of fence, "built discreetly by the Dominican Republic in the last two years, in the areas of the border crossings of Jimaní and El Carrizal.".
Border Security and Surveillance
The National Army currently has three infantry brigades, the fourth based in Mao, Valverde, the third in San Juan de la Maguana and the fifth in Barahona for the protection of the border.
These brigades have three battalions located in strategic locations along the border.
Likewise, the Specialized Corps for Land Border Security (Cesfront) has four operational bases located in Dajabón, Comendador, Jimaní and Pedernales.
In addition to this, at the formal border crossings of Jimaní and Elías Piña there are coordinated border management teams, made up of institutions that combat border crimes.
