As Haiti descends into pandemonium, Dominican president brings concerns to Washington

As Haiti continued its descent into chaos Wednesday with masked crowds looting stores, buses blocking roads and residents confined to their homes, the president of its closest neighbor was mounting an initiative to get the international community more involved.

Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader arrived in Washington, where he kicked off a series of visits with U.S. lawmakers and officials, meeting first on Capitol Hill with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. The talk would be followed by others, leading to a visit Thursday to the Organization of American States, where Abinader is set to speak exclusively on the situation in Haiti.

The two countries share the island of Hispaniola and the Dominican Republic has become increasingly concerned about Haiti’s deepening political instability, increasing migration and gang-related violence — all of which have been intensified since last July’s assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse. Since that brazen attack, Abinader has been on a mission to get the United States and others in the international community to do more to address the multidimensional crisis. This includes taking concrete measures to curb migration and support a multinational strike force to go in and tackle kidnapping Haitian gangs.

Sources familiar with the president’s visit to the OAS wouldn’t say much other than he plans to discuss the need for more regional involvement before the hemispheric body. His visit comes ahead of an appearance on Sept. 22 before the United Nations General Assembly, where he is expected to also demand a more robust response from the international community.

On Wednesday, widespread unrest continued in Port-au-Prince and other cities over the government’s announcement that it could no longer support over $400 million annually in fuel subsidies, necessitating higher prices for gas, diesel and propane. A litany of problems, including the devaluation of the local currency, the gourde, coupled with higher food prices, a lack of U.S. dollars and the increasing scarcity of gas, propane and diesel at the pumps has helped intensify anti-government tensions this week.

Meanwhile in some areas, protests were accompanied by looting, with police shooting to fend off crowds.

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In Petionville, the tony neighborhood in the hills above Port-au-Prince, residents found themselves confined to their homes or forced to walk as burning tires, aluminum sheeting and other makeshift barriers obstructed traffic. All of the entrances into the area were blocked to vehicles and all economic activities were at a standstill. Even motorcycles were not allowed to circulate.

By afternoon Wednesday, the protests had begun turning violent as demonstrators tried to invade the yard of the Royal Oasis Hotel in Petionville, and attack the home of André Michel, a prominent lawyer and supporter of interim Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

Demonstrations also unfolded in the southern city of Les Cayes, while hundreds of public buses, known as tap taps, blocked the road in Mirebalais in the Central Plateau.

Refusing to be dissuaded, the interim government led by Henry announced Wednesday morning the doubling of gas prices to $4.83 a gallon. Diesel and propane, which had been selling for just under $3 a gallon, rose to $5.68 and $5.72, respectively. There was no date provided on when the prices would take effect, or guarantees that the new price structure will lead to an increase in availability after companies last month decreased their orders because of the losses.

Defending the increase, the communications ministry tweeted that the subsidies on a monthly basis amounted to twice the government’s monthly payroll: “Gasoline price adjustment is the only way to end the black market. Public action will be taken against anyone involved in the black market, the diversion of petroleum products, etc.”

Still, five vessels with more than 188,000 barrels of refined petroleum products, representing a week-and-a-half worth of fuel consumption, were stuck at sea, unable to berth because of security concerns. The impasse meant that Haiti only had three to four days of fuel in its terminal inventory, raising fears that the country could plunge even deeper into crisis.

The paralysis, coupled with the ongoing determination of violent gangs to fan chaos, deepened fears about what the coming days will look like. Meanwhile, as the government remains silent about the protests, political foes sought to capitalize by accusing the government of being responsible for the calamity and stoking anger in the streets.

Abinader and his representatives have for months now argued that Haiti’s political instability and gang-orchestrated violence present “an unusual and extraordinary threat to the Dominican Republic’s national security, foreign policy and its economy.”

In June, the Dominican’s representative to the United Nations, Ambassador José Blanco Conde, told a United Nations Security Council meeting a new peacekeeping mission was needed for Haiti. But instead of sending peacekeepers, the Security Council in July unanimously agreed to support a U.S. resolution extending the mandate of the U.N. Integrated Office in Haiti.

The agreement doesn’t go far enough for the Dominican Republic, which has been increasingly troubled by Haiti’s gang problem, which has led Haitians to cross into its territory.

Last week, Abinader ordered Dominican immigration to prohibit a dozen prominent Haitian gang leaders from entering the country. He also banned Haiti’s former foreign minister and interim prime minister, Claude Joseph. The communique did not explain the reasons for Joseph’s ban. Dominican officials contacted by the Miami Herald have declined to elaborate.

Joseph, who was prime minister at the time of Moïse’s shocking assassination, did not respond to a Herald inquiry about the listing. On Twitter, he called Abinader’s ban “an honor.”

Last month as Haiti’s new minister of foreign affairs, Victor Généus, laid out the challenges faced by Henry during a special session of the OAS, the Dominican Republic’s representative Josué Fiallo said the world was watching a “terrible spiral of violent chaos.”

“The progressive deterioration and instability afflicting Haiti undermine the dignity of all its people, regional security and the shared values of solidarity and cooperation,” he said.

Fiallo acknowledged the historical tensions between the two countries, including a 1937 massacre of thousands of Haitians, the ongoing deportations and the retroactive stripping of citizenship of some Black Dominicans born after 1929. Nonetheless, Fiallo said, “we want to be optimistic and see this crisis as an opportunity to move forward.”

“It is urgent to collaborate with your government to restore security, stabilize Haiti, address the humanitarian crisis, promote democracy, and demonstrate commitment to all the values of this organization,” he said. “If no action is taken, the multidimensional crisis will deepen.”