Haiti Refuses To Open Key Border Crossing

HAITI – Haiti declined Thursday to join neighbouring Dominican Republic in reopening a key commercial border crossing, leaving some trade at a standstill and prolonging a diplomatic crisis over the construction of a canal on Haitian soil.

Dominican President Luis Abinader had closed all borders including the crossing at the northern Dominican city of Dajabon for nearly a month to protest the construction of the canal, which he says violates a treaty and will take water needed by Dominican farmers.

Haiti says it has the right to build the canal and that it’s urgently needed because of a drought.