American nurse, daughter kidnapped in Haiti
Two American citizens have been kidnapped in Haiti amid ongoing violence in the Caribbean nation.
Alix Dorsainvil and her daughter were abducted while working for an aid organization in the capital of Port-au-Prince, the group announced Saturday.
Dorsainvil, a New Hampshire native, works for El Roi Haiti, which runs a school and ministry in the dangerous Haitian capital. Her husband, Sandro Dorsainvil, is the director of El Roi.
“Alix is a deeply compassionate and loving person who considers Haiti her home and the Haitian people her friends and family,” the organization said in its statement. It said Dorsainvil and her daughter were kidnapped while “serving in our community ministry.”
The U.S. State Department confirmed it was aware of two U.S. citizens kidnapped in Haiti but did not identify Dorsainvil.
“We are in regular contact with Haitian authorities and will continue to work with them and our U.S. government interagency partners,” the State Department told reporters Saturday. “We have nothing further to share at this time.”
Following the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse and a devastating earthquake shortly afterward, Haiti has been wracked by gang violence. According to international estimates, street gangs control more than 50% of Port-au-Prince.
On Thursday, the day Dorsainvil was abducted, the federal government issued a “Do Not Travel” warning for Haiti.
“Kidnapping is widespread, and victims regularly include U.S. citizens,” the State Department warned. “Kidnappers may use sophisticated planning or take advantage of unplanned opportunities, and even convoys have been attacked.”
Earlier this year, a Florida couple was kidnapped and held for nearly a month before their release. Their family said they paid thousands of dollars in ransom.
In 2021, months after Moise was assassinated, 17 American and Canadian missionaries were snatched in Port-au-Prince. They were held hostage for two months before a daring escape.
With News Wire Services