American Nurse Kidnapped in Haiti as Gang Violence Prompts Calls for UN Intervention
Summary from the AllSides News Team
A New Hampshire nurse and her young daughter were kidnapped in Haiti on Thursday, drawing renewed attention to the island nation marred by gang violence and a humanitarian crisis.
Americans Kidnapped: The nurse, Alix Dorsainvil, is married to the director of El Roi Haiti, a Christian aid organization. On Thursday, the State Department ordered the departure of non-essential government personnel and urged U.S. citizens to leave Haiti “as soon as possible,” citing “the current security situation and infrastructure challenges.”
For Context: Haiti, about 800 miles from Florida, has suffered a sequence of crises in recent years — including a magnitude 7.2 earthquake in 2021, destructive hurricanes in 2021 and 2022, and the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse in 2021.
UN Intervention: The U.S. is reportedly planning to introduce a U.N. Security Council resolution to send a multinational force to Haiti to address the crisis. Over the weekend, Kenya’s foreign minister expressed interest in leading the mission. It would not be Haiti’s first experience with U.N. troops — previous U.N. peacekeeper presence in Haiti has been marred by reports of sexual abuse.
How the Media Covered It: Coverage was common across the spectrum. Some mainstream outlets like ABC News (Lean Left bias) took the opportunity to cover the broader humanitarian and gang crises in Haiti. Some coverage varied on describing El Roi as “Christian” or “faith-based”; some coverage from the right appeared to highlight the religious connection.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Right
New Hampshire nurse, child abducted from Haitian Christian ministryAn American nurse and her young child were kidnapped in Haiti on Thursday morning, the faith-based organization her husband runs said.
Alix Dorsainvil and the child, who was not named, were abducted from a Christian campus near Port au Prince, the country’s capital, while conducting community ministry services, according to El Roi Haiti.
The conditions surrounding the pair’s kidnapping were not shared, but the US State Department said it was working toward their safe return.
“We are aware of reports of the kidnapping of two U.S. citizens in Haiti,” a spokesperson...
From the Left
Tide of Terror Shifts in Haiti as U.S. Nurse and Her Child Are AbductedAn American nurse and her daughter have been abducted in Haiti, in the latest kidnapping episode to draw international notice, as a resurgence of violence grips the capital, Port-au-Prince.
In a brief statement on Saturday, El Roi Haiti, a faith-focused humanitarian organization, identified the woman as Alix Dorsainvil, the group’s community nurse and the wife of the group’s director. She and her child were taken from El Roi’s campus near the capital on Thursday, according to the statement.
No further details have been made public.
“We are aware of reports of the kidnapping...
From the Center
American nurse kidnapped in Haiti: What you need to knowAmerican nurse Alix Dorsainvil and her daughter were abducted last Thursday from a small health clinic near Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Both Haitian and U.S. authorities are investigating the abduction, but no information has been publicly released on who abducted her, what they want, or what it will take to free her.
The incident highlights what the U.S. State Department has deemed a rising risk of kidnapping and other crimes against Americans in the country.
Here’s what we know.
Dorsainvil is an American nurse who was seized by kidnappers last Thursday while...
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