The machete killing at Pedernales of a Dominican couple has had an adverse impact on the Haitian community living in this area https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23799-haiti-flash-explosive-situation-in-pedernales-haitians-in-fear.html . While strongly condemning this double murder, the Support Group for Repatriated and Refugees (GARR) urges the authorities of both countries beyond the factual elements "to pay sustained attention to other parameters that contribute to deteriorate relations between Haitians and Dominicans."

The GARR mentions that these two murders have also affected relations in several border communities where "dozens of families distraught by threats and reprisals against the Haitian community have been forced to return to Haiti, often leaving behind all their belongings."

The humanitarian organization points out that even though calm seems to have returned to the Anse-a-Pitres / Pedernales border, the situation remains tense and if nothing is done, this kind of situation is likely to recur. The GAAR recalls "whenever a murder is committed on a Dominican, most often unsolved, extremist groups hostile to the Haitian population, trigger with impunity acts of reprisal [...]"

"To avoid the repetition of such facts, the Haitian and Dominican authorities must act to render justice to who it is due, to create channels of conflict management, particularly in terms of work and prevent them from escalating into violence.

For their part, the Dominican authorities must take their responsibility to firmly sanction those who continually preach hatred against Haitians and who openly call for violence against this community. The Dominican authorities [...] can not allow political or other groups to take their places by developing, through different media, a hate speech against an entire population and by organizing their own justice against this community.

GARR calls on the Haitian authorities to take up their responsibilities and to agree with their Dominican counterparts to clarify what happened in Pedernales and punish the guilty parties."

Recalling that Haiti and the Dominican Republic sharing the same island, both have the responsibility to continually seek strategies to make possible and harmonious cohabitation.

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23901-haiti-flash-official-request-for-extradition-of-the-dominican-republic.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23831-haiti-dr-the-government-of-haiti-mobilizes.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23799-haiti-flash-explosive-situation-in-pedernales-haitians-in-fear.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-23790-icihaiti-flash-temporary-closure-of-the-pedernales-border-market.html

HL/ HaitiLibre