"Léon Charles emphasized seven times and in five different languages on Tuesday before the Permanent Council of the OAS that 'The construction of the canal will not stop.' The Haitian ambassador, who spoke after Roberto Álvarez, Minister of Foreign Relations of the Dominican Republic, took the time to explain to the OAS members why Haiti is holding onto its position to continue the construction of the canal on the Massacre River.
"In light of the topography of the Massacre River, on one hand, and the letter and spirit of Article 10 of the Treaty of February 20, 1929, on the other hand, the Haitian government asserts its right to use the waters of the Massacre River fairly and equitably, a shared and border river fed by tributaries from both countries," Léon Charles stated during an extraordinary session of the Permanent Council of the OAS on the theme 'Encounter of Two Worlds' on October 10, 2023.
"The current situation, characterized by the closure of land, air, and maritime borders, as well as the mobilization of military troops on the Dominican side, is not beneficial to either the Republic of Haiti or the Dominican Republic. There is an urgent need to calm tensions and take concrete steps to de-escalate. Haiti strongly condemns the use of threats, intimidation maneuvers, and disinformation that cannot substitute for the respect of international commitments," criticized the Haitian representative to the OAS.
The Haitian government, the ambassador added, "expresses great concern over the intransigence of Dominican authorities. It strongly condemns their recent decision to expand the Vigía Canal with the officially stated intention of diverting the waters of the Massacre River entirely to deprive Haitian users, in flagrant violation of the Peace, Friendship, and Arbitration Treaty of February 20, 1929."
"The construction of the canal will not stop. The Dominican Republic must recognize the right of both countries to use the shared water resources of the Massacre River fairly and equitably, in accordance with the terms of Article 10 of the Treaty of Peace, Friendship, and Arbitration of February 20, 1929, and international standards in this matter," Mr. Charles supported.
He reaffirmed "the right of the Haitian people to fair and reasonable use of shared waters and commits to working with all relevant local parties to carry out the work in accordance with the best technical and legal standards."
"The Haitian government calls for calm and reaffirms its willingness to continue working towards a definitive solution to the dispute over the use of water resources from the Massacre River and to continue, in this regard, discussions alternately in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. It reiterates its invitation, transmitted in a note dated September 15, 2023, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Dominican Ministry of Foreign Relations, to resume negotiations. Dialogue is an essential element of good neighborly relations," said Léon Charles.
Mr. Charles pointed out to the OAS ambassadors that "The construction of the canal on the Massacre River has, in recent years, been a topic of unanimous agreement among the population and all sectors in Haiti. Haitians, in solidarity with the population of the Northeast and especially the community of Ouanaminthe, speak with one voice about continuing the work. In fact, the popular slogan in Haiti right now is: 'KPK, the canal will not stop!'"
Léon Charles reminded the OAS that since the signing of the Peace, Friendship, and Arbitration Treaty on February 29, 1929, "the Dominican Republic has built 12 structures on the Massacre River in the Loma de Cabrera and Dajabon region, including eight bank intakes and four mini-dams. The construction of these structures was carried out unilaterally and was not previously notified to the Haitian state. These hydraulic facilities on Dominican territory exploit over 70% of the water resources of the Massacre River for agricultural and industrial purposes."
The Haitian ambassador explained that the Haitian government, with the aim of controlling the flooding of the Massacre River and at the same time developing a part of the Lower Maribaroux Plain in the Northeast, decided in 2018 to undertake the construction of an irrigation system that could irrigate three thousand hectares of land. "This system will be supplied with water from the Massacre River, which is a border river formed by tributaries originating in both Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Thus, the Haitian territory contributes significantly to generating the mobilizable flows of this common river," he detailed.
The timeline of events...
Léon Charles reminded the OAS that canal construction began on April 2, 2021. "Shortly thereafter, Dominican authorities denounced the construction, arguing that it involved the diversion of the course of the Massacre River. On May 26, 2021, a Haitian delegation traveled to Santo Domingo to present and describe the diversion project, aiming to convey the Haitian government's position. On May 27, 2021, at the end of the meeting, both parties signed a joint declaration, stating in its recitals: '... it is established that both nations have the right to use the waters of the rivers located in the border area fairly and equitably.' Unfortunately, on July 7, 2021, the work was interrupted with the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse," he stated.
"On Wednesday, August 30, 2023, farmers from the Lower Maribahoux Plain resumed the canal connection work. On September 1, 2023, Prime Minister Ariel Henry dispatched a mission to the field to discuss with local residents. On September 8, the Dominican government unilaterally ordered the closure of the official border crossing at Dajabon-Ouanaminthe. Simultaneously, the Dominican military demonstrated its strength by mobilizing heavy equipment on this part of the border," Léon Charles explained.
"On Wednesday, September 13, 2023, the Haitian and Dominican governments decided, by mutual agreement, to meet in Santo Domingo through the Binational Water Table of the Bilateral Joint Commission to find a fair and definitive solution to this dispute. On September 14, 2023, while both parties were in negotiations, a presidential decree was issued by the Dominican government, putting into effect the threats made three days earlier to close the land, air, and maritime borders with Haiti. These unilateral measures led the Haitian delegation to terminate the ongoing bilateral negotiations," the Haitian ambassador criticized.
The government of the Republic of Haiti, he said, "demands respect for the integrity of its territory and also calls for the protection of Haitian nationals in the Dominican Republic and respect for international conventions in this matter."