Abinader: “Haiti’s insecurity has never crossed our border”

President Luis Abinader assured this Monday that Haitian gangs have not crossed the border into Dominican territory, despite the delicate moments the country has faced since the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021.

“During these five years, since the assassination, since the magnicide of President Moïse, there have been very delicate moments in which never, as we have repeated, has the instability of Haiti crossed our border, not even close to it,” stated the head of state during his speech at La Semanal con la Prensa, dedicated to border security and the crisis that the neighboring country is going through.

Abinader explained that his Government has maintained a security zone on the Haitian side of the border as part of the measures to protect Dominican territory and prevent the violence generated by criminal gangs from affecting the country.

The president maintained that one of the main responsibilities of a constitutionally elected president is to guarantee sovereignty, peace, and national security, and affirmed that his administration has acted with planning and awareness of that responsibility.

“Let the population know that the main responsibility a president has, as in our case, constitutionally elected, is to defend sovereignty, defend peace, defend security,” he expressed.

In that sense, he highlighted that the Dominican Armed Forces currently have greater equipment, personnel, training, and technical capabilities than in previous years.

Although he indicated that there are figures that cannot be made public for security reasons, he assured that the number of military personnel assigned to national protection has increased considerably.

Likewise, he highlighted the incorporation of different types of drones for border surveillance, as well as the increase in air and naval resources and the strengthening of intelligence services, tools that, as he explained, allow for the anticipation of potential risk situations.

The president reiterated that the preparation of military bodies constitutes a fundamental element to respond to any eventuality related to the Haitian crisis.

Finally, he gave way to the Minister of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs, Víctor “Ito” Bisonó, to present the current status of the Gang Suppression Force, an international mechanism promoted to combat the criminal organizations operating in Haiti.