Santo Domingo, March 5 (teleSur-RHC)-- The Dominican Republic said Wednesday that it will temporarily close its consulate in Haiti because of “recurring attacks” that have created a dangerous environment.

For the past few weeks, there have been increasing tensions on the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. A Haitian man who shined shoes for a living was lynched and found hanging from a tree in the Dominican city of Santiago.

Last week, tens of thousands of Haitians protested in the capital of Haiti, Port-au-prince, against the continuing mistreatment of Haitians in the Dominican Republic. One man during the protest climbed to the consulate's roof and tore down a Dominican flag.

Dominican foreign ministry spokesman Miguel Medina said Wednesday that the Dominican government sees the “aggression” against the consulate as putting the safety of their staff at risk. He went on to say that they are waiting for Haitian President Michel Martelly to provide “guarantees of adequate protection” to the five Dominican consulates in Haiti. Medina also noted that the Vienna Convention required that governments provide safe conditions under which the diplomats can work.

In 2013, the Dominican Republic's Constitutional Court decided to deny citizenship to children born of Haitians living in the Dominican Republic.