Haiti: US nurse Alix Dorsainvil and child freed by kidnappers, charity says

An American nurse and her child kidnapped in Haiti nearly two weeks ago have been freed, according to the Christian charity she worked for.

El Roi Haiti confirmed "the safe release of our staff member and friend, Alix Dorsainvil" and her young daughter, who has not been named.

Ms Dorsainvil was working at a local ministry site outside Port-au-Prince on 27 July when the two were taken.

Armed gangs have carved up the capital city, kidnapping and killing at will.

Hours after the kidnapping, the US State Department ordered non-emergency government personnel and the family members of embassy officials to leave Haiti.

"Do not travel to Haiti due to kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and poor health care infrastructure," the agency's updated travel advisory read, warning that the abduction of US citizens is "widespread".

Ms Dorsainvil is the wife of El Roi's founding director, Sandro Dorsainvil. The Christian non-profit previously said it was working with authorities and partners to negotiate the mother and daughter's safe release.

They are believed to have been freed on Tuesday night.

Originally from the state of New Hampshire, Ms Dorsainvil first visited Haiti after the 2010 earthquake and has worked as a school and community nurse since 2020.

The organisation described her in an earlier statement as "a deeply compassionate and loving person who considers Haiti her home and the Haitian people her friends and family".

"She had lived in Haiti for multiple years, showing love and care in a variety of ways before coming on staff with us, but has had a heart for the hurting since she was a child," it added.

Mr Dorsainvil grew up in poverty in Port-au-Prince, according to the charity. In 2014 he graduated from a high school in the state of Montana.

An alumni newsletter from the school says the couple married in Haiti in January 2021 and had adopted one boy there while raising two girls.

The poorest country in the Americas has been in political crisis since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021.

Gangs control around 80% of the capital, and violent crimes such as kidnappings and armed robbery are common.

From January to June this year, there have been 1,014 kidnappings in Haiti, according to the UN.