Dominican President Luis Abinader will address the Haiti crisis and the reinforcement of the Dominican-Haitian border live this Monday, October 26, at 3:00 p.m. — two hours earlier than the usual time for his weekly program La Agenda Semanal — as the crisis next door pulls in the Dominican Republic, El Salvador and the gangs that control much of Haiti.
The Presidency announced the schedule change on Sunday night. Abinader will be joined by Defense Minister Lieutenant General Carlos Antonio Fernández Onofre, Foreign Minister Víctor "Ito" Bisonó and the military commanders responsible for national security, according to the official statement.
11,000 troops and two extra battalions on the southern border
Speaking in Santiago on Sunday, Abinader said the Dominican Republic already has nearly 11,000 troops dedicated to border security — and has now added two extra battalions in the southern border zone, backed by heavy equipment and artillery.
"We have over-reinforced the southern border," the president said. "We are here to make sure that the Dominican Republic is safe, which is my responsibility."
Hours earlier, Abinader held a closed-door meeting of about two hours at the Government House with Bisonó and Fernández Onofre to assess the Haitian situation and its possible effects on Dominican territory. The meeting was marked by secrecy, and the authorities have not officially disclosed the topics or decisions, according to El Día.
The Salvadoran technicians at the center of the crisis
The emergency flared after four Salvadoran technicians from the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) disappeared on October 18, when armed men attacked the armored vehicle they were traveling in near Santo, in Croix-des-Bouquets, as they returned from a supermarket to their base. Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele responded by announcing he will send a military contingent to find them.
Abinader said on Sunday that he will speak with Bukele this Monday. "We are in permanent contact to know what is being done there and whether it has any repercussion on the Dominican Republic," he said.
The GSF has said it received human remains handed over through a humanitarian organization that could belong to the missing men, but it could not confirm their identity. A day earlier, Bukele ruled out that the remains were his compatriots, saying they included a child, a taller man than the missing technicians and a person wearing part of the uniform of a different army — and that identity documents and military uniforms from other countries were also found.
Former president Leonel Fernández has also called for measures in the face of Haitian insecurity, adding to the pressure on Abinader to show the border is under control.
Monday's 3:00 p.m. address will be the first time Abinader speaks at length about the crisis since the Salvadoran deployment was announced — and the first public account of what his government decided behind closed doors on Sunday.
Fuentes: El Seis, EYR, FocoCero, En Tendencia RD, El Biran.