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American nurse and young daughter abducted in Haiti freed

Published:Wednesday | August 9, 2023 | 10:01 AM
In this undated photo provided by El Roi Haiti, Alix Dorsainvil (right), poses with her husband, Sandro Dorsainvil. Alix Dorsainvil, a nurse for El Roi Haiti, and her daughter were kidnapped on Thursday, July 27, the organisation said. (Courtesy of El Roi Haiti via AP)

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — American nurse Alix Dorsainvil and her daughter were freed Wednesday, nearly two weeks after they were kidnapped in Haiti's capital, according to aid organisation El Roi Haiti.

The Christian group founded by Dorsainvil's husband asked that neither she nor her family be contacted: “There is still much to process and to heal from in this situation,” the group said in a statement.

The group added that it confirmed the safe release “with a heart of gratitude and immense joy.”

No other details were immediately available, including whether any ransom was paid.

The US State Department said it welcomed news that the two had been freed and thanked its Haitian and US interagency partners for facilitating the release.

“We have no greater priority than the safety and security of US citizens overseas,” the agency said.

“As you can imagine, these individuals have been through a very difficult ordeal, both physically and mentally.”

Officials provided no other details.

Witnesses told The Associated Press that armed men had seized the New Hampshire native and her young daughter in late July from a clinic in a gang-controlled area of Port-au-Prince where Dorsainvil works.

The Christian group has offered medical care, education and other basic services to people in the country's poorest areas.

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