Reiterates that there is “no Dominican solution” to the crisis in the neighboring country
New York.– The President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, urged the international community this Wednesday to immediately complete the deployment of the Gang Suppression Force in Haiti to address the Haitian crisis, ahead of the expiration of its mandate on September 30.
During his speech at the General Debate of the 81st session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, the president warned about the institutional and security deterioration in the neighboring country and its effects on regional stability.
Haitian crisis
Abinader maintained that the situation represents a serious threat to regional peace and directly affects the Dominican Republic.
To illustrate the violence exerted by transnational criminal networks, he denounced the recent massacre in the Kenscoff community, where armed gangs killed at least 47 people in a single night, including five children.
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Likewise, he warned that nearly 1.5 million Haitians have been displaced from their homes and that half of them are minors.
Despite the approval of resolution 2793 by the UN Security Council, the head of state pointed out that the international mission barely has a fifth of the authorized personnel.
Given this scenario, he proposed three priority requirements: completing the deployment with the missing troops and resources pledged by the international community; enforcing the arms embargo and applying sanctions to those who finance and protect the gangs; and strengthening local institutions, including the Police, the Armed Forces, and the judicial system, so that Haiti can sustain its own security.
“To renew without completing would be to prolong a promise without fulfilling it,” asserted Abinader, who urged for the agreed-upon decisions to be executed in a matter of months and not years.
Haitian crisis and sovereignty
Regarding his Government’s position on the Haitian crisis, the president pointed out that the country practices a “diplomacy of solutions” and recalled the financial contributions made to the force’s trust fund, as well as the logistical support provided on Dominican territory and the medical care offered to the mission’s personnel.
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However, he reiterated the Dominican State’s position on national sovereignty: “There is no Dominican solution to the Haitian crisis, and no State or organization can impose upon our country to assume it in their place.”
In that sense, he assured that the Dominican Republic will continue to safeguard its borders, applying its immigration laws and equipping its Armed Forces in the exercise of its sovereign equality.
Finally, he maintained that the solution must materialize on Haitian territory, ensuring that children return to school and allowing for the holding of elections for the first time in a decade, as soon as conditions permit.
“Haiti’s solution lies in Haiti, and the obligation of the international community is to make it possible there, on its territory, for its children to return to their schools and for its youth to have a future in their country; and that, as soon as conditions allow, they can vote, for the first time in a decade,” the president pointed out.
The first participation of Luis Abinader before the United Nations General Assembly took place on September 23, 2020, a little over a month after assuming the Presidency of the Dominican Republic. Due to the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 75th edition of the meeting was held virtually, so the Dominican leader addressed his message to the international community from the National Palace.
Since 2021, the Haiti crisis has taken center stage in his address to the UN. The president has maintained in his subsequent participations that the Dominican Republic cannot face the situation of the neighboring country alone.
