A Christian nurse who was kidnapped in Haiti has been released, saying she ‘holds no grudges’ against her abductors and forgives them.
She added: ‘My clinic doors are always open to you or anyone in need when you’re sick or wounded, without any problem.’
Alix Dorsainvil and her daughter (pictured), both US citizens, were seized from the school of Christian education ministry El Roi Haiti, in the capital Port-au-Prince. It is not known whether any ransom was paid.
Her release was a rare item of good news after a spate of violence and killings across Haiti, one of the world’s poorest countries. The world was shocked when seven people were killed in Port-au-Prince, after a powerful gang that controls a northern suburb opened fire with machine guns on a protest organised by local Christian leader Pastor Marco. Several other churchgoers were wounded and kidnapped after they marched through the community calling for the gang members to leave the area.
The Reuters news agency says videos appearing on social media showed people being shot at in the street, bodies lying on the ground, and people who appeared to be hostages saying they thought the march was peaceful and had no idea it was about taking on the gang.
The Haitian gangs have grown much more powerful since the assassination of Haiti’s president, Jovenel Moïse, two years ago. They are now estimated to control up to 80% of Port-au-Prince. The United Nations estimates that between January and August, more than 2,400 people were killed, more than 950 kidnapped and over 900 injured.
Fed up with the surge in gang violence, Haitians have organised a grassroots movement, known as bwa kale, that targets suspected gang members. More than 350 people have been killed since bwa kale began. The Haitian government, unable to maintain law and order itself, has requested foreign armed forces to put down gang violence. The government of Kenya has offered to lead a multinational force, and a delegation of top officials visited Haiti recently as part of a reconnaissance mission.
