UNITED NATIONS, CMC – President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, says his country will not be dragged into the abyss of Haiti and urged the international community to do more to help deal with the security, political and economic situation in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (Caricom) country.

“I ask this Security Council to redouble efforts to generate these tools and launch an early warning system to enable timely action before the situation turns into crises that are more difficult to resolve,” Abinader told a sitting of the United Nations Security Council.

He said that the international community should not allow the situation being experienced by Haitians to continue, noting that several measures that the Council took into account to deal with the crisis, have not been implemented.

Last month, the Kenya High Court ruled against sending troops to Haiti as part of the multinational security support (MSS) mission to restore peace and security in Haiti where criminal gangs continue to threaten public order.

Last October, the UN Security Council authorised the deployment of the MSS to back Haiti’s beleaguered police force, which Kenya offered to lead.

A 2022 sanctions regime, targeting gang leaders and their financiers, was also renewed later that month.

Speaking at a news conference following his statement to the Security Council, President Abinader said “the serious situation in the neighbouring country of Haiti has not been addressed with the urgency and vigour that it deserves.”

“The result is that today, much of Haiti’s territory is controlled by criminal gangs and is on the verge of civil war,” he told reporters adding “today I want to warn the international community that if it does not intervene immediately, the Dominican Republic will fight with all its force to avoid being dragged into the same abyss as Haiti.

“Our slogan, from today, will be either we fight together to save Haiti, or we fight alone to protect the Dominican Republic,” he continued.

Haiti and the Dominican Republic share the same island of Hispaniola, the second-largest island in the Caribbean with an area of 76,192 square kilometres.