Spanish
Port-au-Prince.- The Superior Court of Accounts and Administrative Litigation of Haiti approved a contract worth about 542 million dollars to reinforce security on the border with the Dominican Republic, according to journalistic sources this Wednesday.
The contract was signed between different ministries of the country and the companies Evergreen Trading System Limited and Alex Stewart International, reported the local newspaper 'Le Nouvelliste'.
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According to the newspaper, this agreement aims to strengthen security on the border, which it shares with the Dominican Republic, as well as optimize tax and customs revenues, and increase the capacity of the "State" to effectively combat transnational crime, tax fraud, and smuggling. In detail, the contract is worth $542,634,238 and has a duration of ten years, which includes two years of implementation and eight years of operation. Also, the use of satellite surveillance equipment, drones, scanners, and helicopters is planned to reinforce border security. In addition, the plans foresee the installation of cargo and container scanners in the maritime ports of Port-au-Prince, Cap-Haïtien (north) and Saint-Louis-du-Sud (southwest), as well as at the border crossings of Malpasse (south), Belladère (center) and Ouanaminthe (north). Also, mobile cargo scanners will be deployed in different ports of the country. The project includes the technological strengthening of migration services, the installation of "modern equipment" for personnel control, and the reconstruction or rehabilitation of various customs and migration infrastructures throughout the territory of Haiti, the newspaper pointed out. This Wednesday, in statements to 'Le Nouvelliste', the Prime Minister of Haiti, Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, indicated that the first responsibility of his country is to control the border. "Our first responsibility is to control our border. As good neighbors, Dominicans can help us. But our main responsibility is to control our border," he affirmed. Fils-Aimé also opened the door to an improvement in relations with the Dominican Republic, whose government is building a wall or perimeter fence on the common border with the aim of controlling the passage of migrants, drugs and weapons. "We can't be like Siamese twins who don't speak to each other when we live on the same island," he pointed out to the same newspaper. Regarding whether he intends to visit the Dominican Republic, he stated: "I still don't know. It's a very good question. I'm considering it."
