The president of the Dominican Republic has announced a freeze on new visas for Haitians and threatened to close the border between the two countries as tensions rise over a disputed canal.
President Luis Abinader issued the order on Monday, citing construction work on a Haitian canal that Dominican officials say will divert water from the Massacre River, which runs in both countries.
“If the conflict is not resolved before Thursday, [officials will] completely close the border to air, sea and land commerce,” the government said in a statement.
The announcement is the latest chapter in a long history of friction between the two countries, which share the same island of Hispaniola but are split by ethnic, linguistic and cultural divisions.
Article from www.aljazeera.com
