Ouanaminthe - Haiti Observer Blog

The citizens in the districts of Mapou and Dilaire in Ouanaminthe are not happy with the manner of searching the shooter(s) responsible for the death of a Chilean peacekeeper, Sergeant Rodrigo Sanhueza who died during a violent protest in Ouanaminthe on April 13, 2015.

The United Nations, including its Secretary-General and Security Council had called for a quick investigation as the killing prompted strong condemnations from its offices. In consequence to their directives, the residents of Mapou & Dilaire are complaining that the United Nations Police (UNPOL) forces from Brazil and Uruguay battalions are harassing them excessively without any warrant or acceptable reasons and their presence have created fear in the minds of common people living in the area. The agents of MINUSTAH and PNH are calling them indiscriminately for sharing information about the whereabouts of the culprit(s). The Haitian National Police reinforced as part of the UN deployment have been involved in beating and other forms of brutality to the civilians.

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The tension between Haiti and the Dominican Republic is boiling and more fire are added daily. We just learned that 27 trailers and Dominican trucks are blocked in Ouanaminthe. These trucks that are carrying goods such as food, cement and rebars from the Dominican Republic to Haiti are blocked due to protests and threats of retaliation against Dominicans drivers.

Haitian authorities on the other hand, unable to assure the safety of Dominican drivers, asked them to return to their country.

This latest development is likely to further complicate relations between Haiti and the Dominican Republic

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In a bold act of overreaching the boundaries of his office, President Martelly had contractor, Dejoux, arrested for his shabby construction of a stage Martelly was to appear on to celebrate completion of government projects in the Ouanaminthe area. Not only was Dejoux taken into custody by Police Commissioner, Bio Moncher, but provisional town mayor, Amos Joseph, was worked over by a secret service agent in another incident that day. Government observers say the two incidents were willful, unreasonable, and place the government of Haiti outside the law. They note Martelly has no knowledge of the construction trade or code enforcement.

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Ouanaminthe Haiti is located in Northeastern Haiti and is home to about 100,000 people. Within it lays the Massacre River or Dajabon River which provides a border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The river is named for an incident that took place in 1728 in which 30 French Buccaneers were killed by Spanish settlers.
There are several elementary schools scattered throughout Ouanaminthe and ten secondary schools including a public school and a law school. Majority of the schools belong to churches. They support kindergarten, primary, and secondary. Students who have reached seventh grade typically move to larger areas with better educational opportunities.

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Tensions have escalated between the Dominican Republic and Haiti since the DR Constitutional Court issued a ruling, rescinding Haitian immigrants and their descendents from remaining in the country. The results of this ruling are affecting Haitian entrepreneurs.

Haiti has a large, informal small business sector. Merchants sell items purchased on the black market, sent from the U.S. by relatives, or donated by charities. Biweekly, Haitian merchants cross from Ouanaminthe over to Dajabón province in the DR to vend merchandise at the cross-border market.

Reports picked up by local media say tensions between Ouanaminthe and Dajabón merchants have led to a few skirmishes at the cross-border market. DR Border Security and the military have also detained Haitians, whose profiles have revealed questionable activities. But at the last Monday and Friday market days, it was reported no problems occurred with the border crossing over the Massacre River. These incident-free events have been ascribed to a strong military presence.

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President Michel Martelly visited the department of North-East including the town of Ouanaminthe on Tuesday, November 19, 2013. He was accompanied by Magalie Racine, the Minister of Sports and Civic Activities, Mr. Rony Pierre, the Mayor of the city, Jacques Thomas, the Minister of the Environment, the deputy of Ouanaminthe, Mr. Lucner Noel and many other bureaucrats and senior government officials. There, on this trip, he opened the door of the largest sports complex at Ouanaminthe, on the Haiti border town.

The sports complex, in addition to meeting the standards, has a seating capacity for 500 spectators. It includes a soccer field, a court for basketball and a mixed area for volleyball and tennis. Moreover, there are adequate facilities for physical training, cloakrooms and administrative office. While inaugurating he mentioned that if you have proper land and resources, you can develop your community yourself. Thereafter, the Head of State renewed his commitments to build adequate infrastructure under the youth development program all across the country--this is a program in consistence with government's pledge for social and health security of the nation.

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On "World Environment Day", Presidents Martelly and Medina of Haiti and the Dominican Republic (DR) inaugurated "Re-greening DR-Haiti" reforestation initiative in the town of Ouanaminthe. They participated in planting seeds to pledge their commitment to reach a green cover of 27% by 2020. Presently, tree and vegetation cover is at an all-time low of two percent. The consequence is dire: without trees to absorb rain water, the earth erodes and minerals in the top-soil wash away.

Besides the planting ceremony, Martelly and Medina stopped by Center of Germplasm and Production of Fruit and Forest Species of Dosmond, a trilateral partnership between Haiti, DR, and Cuba. They also visited the Massacre River Protection Program, an initiative to prevent flooding of low-lands in Ouanaminthe.

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Rene Theodore died of lung cancer in June, 2003 because of lung cancer. He was the former head of the Haitian Communist Party. He was receiving treatment in Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital. His death was confirmed by Max Bourjolly who was second in command of the Haitian Communist Party. Rene Theodore entered politics when he was in High School and then continued his political life for 47 years. His last political act was in 2002 December when he co-signed a declaration from the opposition which called for resignation of the then President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

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Tourism has been on a substantial descent over the last 20 years. But one series of events, the Fête champêtre, continues to give hope to a struggling industry as tourists, local, from the Diaspora, and international, flock Haiti to witness the countryside festival.

One of the main avenues for entertainment to the 18th century elite, a Fête champêtre (a country feast or pastoral festival) was a type of garden party much loved at court. With pretensions to simplicity, the Fête champêtre was patronized by the well dressed, entertained by musicians hidden in the trees, as they enjoyed the beauty of landscaped park.

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Ouanaminthe is one of the largest cityships situated within the Nord-Est Department. It has a population numbering 100,000, 10% of whom live in the metropolitan area. Located close to the Dominican Republic border, the Ouanaminthe people cross over via the Massacre River to peddle their wares twice weekly at the Dajabón market.

Ouanaminthe has a well-developed education system. It follows the Haitian model, beginning with Kindergarten, advancing to Primary, then Secondary, and finally University level. Private schools are numerous and church-sponsored. As part of the effort to make education accessible to all residents in Ouanaminthe, the Faith and Joy non-government organization, funded by the Jesuit Refugee Service, is building several new primary schools.

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