Friendship bridge over Dajabon Massacre River [View all]

[Judi Lynn]

Friendship bridge over Dajabon Massacre River

Central American town prospers as a trading hub between Dominican Republic and Haiti despite a haunting past.

Joe Jackson Last updated: 06 Dec 2014 13:53


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The bustling Dajabon border crossing opens Dominican markets to Haitians [Joe Jackson/Al Jazeera]
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Dajabon, Dominican Republic - Signs of the nearby Haitian border materialise long before one reaches this remote frontier town.

Women walk with buckets of goods on their heads. Men balance bulbous loads across motorcycle handlebars. Soldiers guard intermittent checkpoints on the main road.

A 388km border divides the island of Hispaniola into two countries: the Dominican Republic - which occupies the eastern two-thirds - and Haiti.

Trade and security are ubiquitous issues along the boundary of these former Spanish and French territories with a history of post-colonial conflict.

In Dajabon - home to about 25,000 people - the brown waters of the Massacre River separate the town from its larger Haitian counterpart, Ouanaminthe. The river's name stems from a colonial era slaughter of French buccaneers, but it ran red with blood again in 1937 after the Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo ordered the mass killing of Haitians.

More:
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2014/12/friendship-bridge-over-dajabon-massacre-river-2014122123024593550.html