The U.S. State Department’s press conference on Wednesday was largely dominated by news of the release of American citizens who had been kidnapped in Haiti.
“We welcome their release,” said a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, reiterating the administration’s priority of ensuring the safety of Americans abroad. ”
Matthew Miller, however, refrained from giving details about the conditions of the hostages’ release and their current whereabouts “out of respect for [the victims’] privacy.
“I can’t give those kinds of details out of respect for their privacy. And I think, given the situation they’ve been through, they should be the first to speak – to speak to the media about their situation, not me from a podium in Washington. “We’ll let the people involved speak for themselves,” said the State Department spokesman.
Mr. Miller also welcomed the collaboration of Haitian “partners” in facilitating the release of the victims. “We extend our deepest gratitude to our Haitian and American partners for their assistance in facilitating the safe release of the victims,” said the US official at Wednesday’s press conference.
The charity for which Alix Dorsainvil works also issued a statement on Wednesday.
“It is with grateful hearts and immense joy that we at El Roi Haiti confirm the release of our staff member and friend, Alix Dorsainvil, and her child who were being held hostage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Today, we praise God for answering our prayers,” said the statement, in which the organization also said it hoped no one would contact the victims and their families. “There is still much to process and heal in this situation,” wrote the organization, which also made no mention of the conditions under which the hostages were released.
Working for the El Roi Haiti charity, Alix Dorsainvil and her daughter were kidnapped in Port-au-Prince on July 27.
While Alix Dorsainvil and her daughter were freed after 13 days, other victims were not so lucky. Some of them were simply murdered, while others are being held by the thugs indefinitely, despite the payment of a ransom.
This is notably the case of the former president of the Provisional Electoral Council, Pierre-Louis Opont, who has been kidnapped since June 20. Despite the payment of a ransom, the criminals continue to blackmail the family, who no longer have the means to meet the armed bandits’ monetary demands, while Mr Opont’s state of health is deteriorating more and more. But his situation, and that of the other hostages, does not seem to be a priority for Ariel Henri’s gang, who have done nothing to facilitate the release of the former director general of the CEP.
The country’s security situation is deteriorating all the time. Armed bandits control most of the country. Several institutions, including embassies, have been forced to close their doors or are operating with reduced staff. This is notably the case of the American diplomatic mission, which has “ordered the departure from Haiti of non-urgent government personnel, due to the deteriorating security situation in the country.”
According to the latest United Nations report on Haiti, over a thousand cases of kidnapping were recorded in Haiti between January and June 2023. Among the victims were 256 women, 13 girls and 24 boys – according to the UN.