Defense Minister Lieutenant General Carlos Antonio Fernández Onofre led a strategic assessment meeting with the country’s top military commanders and intelligence directors to analyze the evolving crisis in Haiti and defend national security.
The session was attended by the commanders-in-chief of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, as well as the heads of the Specialized Corps for Land Border Security (CESFRONT) and the Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cybersecurity and Intelligence Center (C5i).
Normalcy in commerce and activities
After reviewing intelligence reports, authorities determined that current conditions do not justify extraordinary measures or a border closure. Therefore, trade, transit, and daily life in border communities will continue as normal.
The Ministry of Defense reiterated that the Dominican territory is under strict supervision, so there is no reason to alter the region’s economic or social dynamics.
Despite the current stability, the Armed Forces will continue to monitor the situation in Haiti closely. Through real-time intelligence sharing and periodic scenario assessments, defense agencies are prepared to implement preventive and proportionate measures if the situation warrants it.
Lieutenant General Fernández Onofre emphasized that the security forces’ priority is to preserve sovereignty, protect territorial integrity, and guarantee citizens’ tranquility, acting with firmness, prudence, and timely response capacity.
General situation
The Dominican Republic maintains vigilance on the southern border with Haiti, where military personnel are more present, and controls on people and vehicles are observed in sectors of Pedernales and Elías Piña, while in Jimaní commercial activities and the usual security service continue without extraordinary changes linked to the recent violence in Haitian territory.
Reports obtained by this newspaper from the three border provinces describe different levels of deployment of security agencies, at a time when Haitian police forces are carrying out operations against armed groups in towns near Port-au-Prince.
In Pedernales and Elías Piña, personnel from the Specialized Land Border Security Corps (CESFRONT), the Dominican Republic Army (ERD), and the National Police have been actively present. Agents from the General Directorate of Traffic and Land Transportation Security (DIGESETT) have also been observed, primarily conducting operations targeting Haitian motorcyclists offering passenger transport services.
In Jimaní, Independencia province, the adoption of extraordinary surveillance measures as a direct consequence of the recent clashes in Haiti has not been confirmed.
Despite the differences in the observed deployment, trade remains operational in the three districts, although in Jimaní the transit of goods to Haitian territory returned to normal after three days of restrictions imposed by organizations linked to trade and transport in the neighboring country.
Elias Piña maintains controls at the border
In the province of Elías Piña, the military maintains a presence at several points along the border, from Macasía and Dos Bocas to Cañada Miguel, in the Hondo Valle area.
Officers conduct checks and inspections of people entering and leaving Dominican territory, while Digesett agents intervene with Haitian motorcyclists engaged in passenger transport.
Despite these controls, Haitian merchants continue crossing into Dominican territory to buy goods as usual, with no reports indicating significant changes in normal commercial activity.
In Comendador, the provincial capital, the case of four Salvadoran soldiers linked to the international security mission deployed in Haiti is also generating attention among residents, as their disappearance has been linked to the conditions of violence affecting the neighboring country.
There are rumors circulating in the area about the fate of the four officers, including the possibility that they have died. However, these reports have not been officially confirmed, and their status remains unknown.
Jimaní maintains its usual surveillance service
In Jimaní, journalist and contributor Miguel Vólquez reported that border surveillance continues under the usual scheme, without any special provision being communicated related to police operations against gangs in Haiti.
The additional presence of agents observed during the Director General of Customs’ visit was due to that day’s activities and not, according to the information obtained, to an extraordinary reinforcement of border security.
In the commercial sphere, the transit of goods to Haiti resumed normal operations this Thursday after organizations linked to Haitian trade and transport lifted restrictions maintained for three consecutive days.
The reopening followed a meeting between representatives of the sectors involved and Dominican authorities to address the difficulties affecting trade.
Although the movement of goods into Haiti was limited during those days, the border crossing was never officially closed. The restrictions focused on goods entering Haitian territory.
With the lifting of the measures, sellers and buyers from both countries resumed normal activities in a relatively calm atmosphere.
Pedernales maintains surveillance at a strategic point
In Pedernales, reports also indicate an active presence of border security agencies, with military personnel and agents monitoring the movement of people and vehicles.
The deployment comes amid concerns about the security situation in Haiti, where armed groups maintain their influence in various locations and authorities are conducting operations to regain control of areas affected by violence.
Binational trade remains an important activity for communities on both sides of the border. So far, reports do not indicate a widespread disruption of trade operations in this area.
Surveillance in Pedernales, as in the other border provinces, takes place in a context where territorial security and the continuity of economic exchange are among the main concerns of the communities.
Police operations in Haiti
While Dominican authorities maintain border controls, sources in Haiti reported police operations against armed groups in Croix-des-Bouquets, a town located near Port-au-Prince and very close to Jimaní, on the Dominican side.
According to these reports, gang members were killed during the operations. However, the available reports do not provide verifiable figures to determine the full extent of the results.
The events continue to draw attention in the Dominican border provinces, where residents and business owners are following the evolution of the Haitian crisis, particularly due to reports related to the disappearance of the four Salvadoran military personnel linked to the international security mission.
Security and trade, at the center of border attention
Reports from Pedernales, Jimaní, and Elías Piña reflect an uneven picture regarding the presence of security agencies.
In the first two provinces mentioned, Pedernales and Elías Piña, an active military presence and controls are observed; in Jimaní, however, no extraordinary provision linked to the recent police operations in Haiti has been confirmed.
At the same time, the continuity of commercial activities in the three demarcations demonstrates the importance of economic exchange for border communities, both Dominican and Haitian.
The unfolding events in the neighboring country continue to keep authorities and local residents focused, while territorial surveillance and the functioning of daily activities remain priorities on the Dominican southern border.