Dominican Republic begins building border wall with Haiti

The Dominican Republic has begun construction of a border wall with the neighbouring country of Haiti on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola in view of the poor security situation there.

"The construction of this smart border barrier will benefit both countries as it will enable much more efficient control of bilateral trade," Dominican President Luis Abinader tweeted on Sunday.

Abinader said that construction work started in the village of Dajabón, on the the Dominican Republic's north-western border with Haiti.

The initial phase of construction will see the new border barrier cover 173 kilometres of the total border, which stretches over 391 kilometres.

The Dominican Republic is a popular holiday destination. Neighbouring Haiti is considered the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and is in a severe crisis after a succession of natural disasters and ongoing political turmoil since the assassination of president Jovenel Moïse in July.