An American nurse and her daughter have been freed after being kidnapped nearly two weeks ago and held captive in Haiti, according to the woman’s employer, the aid organization El Roi Haiti.
“It is with a heart of gratitude and immense joy that we at El Roi Haiti confirm the safe release of our staff member and friend, Alix Dorsainvil, and her child who were held hostage,” the aid group said in a statement obtained by The Epoch Times.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the pair had been harmed. The Christian aid group, which was founded by Ms. Dorsainvil’s husband, requested privacy.
“There is still much to process and to heal from in this situation, so we are asking that no attempts be made to contact Alix or her family at this time,” El Roi Haiti stated.
At the time of the abduction, Ms. Dorsainvil was working as a school and community nurse while serving in the community ministry.
“Alix is a deeply compassionate and loving person who considers Haiti her home and the Haitian people her friends and family,” the group said in a statement shortly after her kidnapping.
Witnesses told The Associated Press that Ms. Dorsainvil was working in the small brick clinic when armed men burst in and seized her.
Lormina Louima, a patient waiting for a check-up, said one man pulled out his gun and told her to relax.
“When I saw the gun, I was so scared,” Ms. Louima said. “I said, ‘I don’t want to see this, let me go.’”
Some members of the community said the unidentified abductors asked for $1 million in ransom, said to be a standard practice of the gangs sowing terror among Haiti’s impoverished populace.
Hundreds of kidnappings have occurred in the country this year alone, according to figures from the local nonprofit Center for Analysis and Research in Human Rights.
About 200 Haitians marched in Port-Au-Prince on Aug. 7 to express their outrage over the kidnapping of Ms. Dorsainvil and her daughter, calling attention to their abduction as yet another example of the worsening gang violence that has overtaken much of the Caribbean country’s capital.
US Tells Americans to Leave Haiti
July 27—the day of the kidnapping—coincided with a warning issued by the U.S. State Department to citizens telling them to leave Haiti immediately because of the recent surge in armed clashes between gangs and police, as well as “kidnapping, crime ... and poor health care infrastructure.”“On July 27, 2023, the Department of State ordered the departure of family members of U.S. government employees and non-emergency U.S. government employees,” the advisory said.
“Gang attacks, extrajudicial killings, kidnappings, and gender-based violence have become part of the daily lives of Haitians, forcing locals to flee their homes,” the United Nations said in its report.
“More than 165,000 people are internally displaced in Haiti due to gang violence ... The country is facing additional pressure due to severe floods caused by torrential rains, affecting over 46,000 people and displacing over 13,000 others, and a 4.9 Richter earthquake on 6 June, further compounding the humanitarian situation.”
The State Department advisory told U.S. citizens in Haiti on July 27 to “depart Haiti as soon as possible by commercial or other privately available transportation options, in light of the current security situation and infrastructure challenges.”
U.S. citizens in the capital, Port-au-Prince, should monitor local news and depart only when it is safe to do so, the warning said.
Travelers have reported being followed and violently attacked shortly after leaving the Port-au-Prince international airport, while private vehicles stuck in heavy traffic congestion have been targeted by robbers and carjackers.
The situation has become such that the U.S. Embassy in Haiti now mandates its personnel to use official transportation to and from the airport to mitigate risks.
Kidnappings have also become widespread in Haiti. Kidnappers often use sophisticated measures or take advantage of unplanned opportunities, even attacking convoys.
“Kidnapping cases often involve ransom negotiations, and U.S. citizen victims have been physically harmed during kidnappings,” the advisory reads. “[Victims’] families have paid thousands of dollars to rescue their family members.”
Critical shortages of gasoline, electricity, medicine, and medical supplies persist, further exacerbating the fragile situation in the country. Medical facilities lack qualified staff and basic resources.
