Dominican Republic: Abinader reinforces the southern border with two battalions and artillery amid the crisis over Salvadorans kidnapped in Haiti

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic — President Luis Abinader said the Dominican Republic is prepared to face any threat from Haitian gangs and announced the deployment of two battalions and artillery equipment to the southern border, amid the crisis over the four Salvadoran technicians kidnapped in Haiti.

According to reports of his remarks to the press, the president warned that if those armed groups approach Dominican territory 'they are going to have a very, very, very bad time,' and said that, so far, authorities have detected no gang activity heading toward the border and no signs of a mass influx of Haitian citizens.

Abinader is coordinating with El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele to offer logistical and intelligence support for the operations Salvadoran troops are carrying out in Haiti, where they are seeking to rescue the four kidnapped aviation technicians; according to Listín Diario, the president is scheduled to speak with Bukele on Monday.

The president described the Haitian gangs as terrorists and framed cooperation with El Salvador within international efforts to contain the power of the criminal organizations operating in Haiti, a country where violence has displaced thousands of people and strained institutions.

The Dominican-Haitian border, one of the most closely watched in the region, is thus back at the center of the national debate: while the government insists security is guaranteed, border and trade sectors, such as those in Dajabón, remain attentive to any change in commercial and migratory flows between the two countries.

Photo: CRD Media

Source: Diario Libre and Listín Diario