The despicable tyrant Rafael Trujillo, who ruled the Dominican Republic with a bloody iron fist for more than three decades, decided, without consulting the people, to cede territory to Haiti. The provinces of San Rafael de la Angostura, San Miguel de la Atalaya, Hincha, and Las Caobas, which together represented 10% of Dominican territory, were ceded by Trujillo to his counterpart, Stenio Vincent, who received a large chunk of Dominican territory merely for agreeing to help Trujillo in dealing with dissidents to his diabolical regime.
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| Where the wall should run. |
In Historia de la República Dominicana, Volumen 2, it is revealed in shocking detail how Trujillo engaged in a "quid pro quo" with Vincent, ceasing territory which was clearly established in treaty as belonging to the Dominican Republic.
Although today the territory stolen from the Dominican people by Trujillo and his co-conspirator Stenio Vincent is largely deforested and most Dominicans have been violently removed, possession of this territory by Haiti represents a slap on the face to all of the Dominicans who shed blood to ensure that we remained a free and independent people.
As it currently stands, Haiti doesn't have an army and is politically unstable, the very truth is that the central government cannot effectively control the very territory it is erroneously calling its own.
The Haitians residing in the stolen provinces will welcome Dominican leadership, as it will mean a more secure and stable state able to guarantee the economic stability of its residents. The Dominican government will likely be able to launch a bloodless incursion to recover the stolen provinces.
To finish construction of a wall with Haiti before regaining control of the stolen provinces would be a tragic loss for the Dominican people's future, and a devastating blow to its history, as Pedro Santana, our first president, was born in Hincha.
