Dominican Republic builds 100-mile border wall to deter Haitian migrants and gangs

THE Dominican Republic has started building a 100-mile long border wall to keep out Haitian migrants, highlighting the gulf between the island neighbours.

The concrete wall with a metal-mesh top will be almost 13ft high and have movement sensors, cameras, radar and some 70 watchtowers – all designed to stop illegal immigration and the smuggling of goods, weapons and drugs. The structure, which will cover almost half of the shared land border between the republic and Haiti, will “benefit both nations”, Luis Abinader, the Dominican president, said.

While the two countries share the island of Hispaniola, they are worlds apart in terms of development. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, with nearly a quarter of the 11million-strong population living below the poverty line.

It has suffered from years of political instability and natural disasters.

A devastating earthquake in 2010 killed more than 200,000 and flattened the capital Port-au-prince. Last year, Jovonel Moise, Haiti’s president, was assassinated, plunging the country into crisis. Weeks later, another earthquake killed 2,000 people. Now, parts of Haiti have been taken over by criminal gangs.

Next door, the Dominican Republic remains a popular Caribbean tourist destination and has prospered in recent decades amid marked political stability. Its GDP is, at $89billion (£65billion), nearly four times higher than Haiti.

“The benefit for both nations will be of great importance,” said Mr Abinader shortly before pushing the button to begin pouring concrete into the foundations of what will be the wall in the province of Dajabón, some 143 miles north-west of the capital.

“In two years, we want to put an end to the serious problems of illegal immigration, drug trafficking and the movement of stolen vehicles,” he said in an address last year.

The first phase of the project will be completed within nine months at the latest, he said.