Niger Hostages Freed After Long Captivity

Two women from Austria and Switzerland who were kidnapped in Niger have been freed and taken to Benghazi, in eastern Libya, where they received medical treatment. Swiss national Claudia Abbt, 69, and Austrian Eva Gretzmacher, 76, were abducted in separate incidents in Niger, where both had been living in Agadez and participating in education and development initiatives. Gretzmacher was kidnapped on 11 January 2025, while Abbt was captured in April of the previous year. No group has publicly claimed responsibility. Experts and Nigerien media have suggested that the Islamic State in the Sahel or affiliated groups may have been involved. Their release followed an intervention by Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar, who controls eastern Libya and parts of the south. The women appeared on eastern-based television channel Al-Masar, looking tired and thanking Haftar and his son, Saddam, for securing their freedom. Teams from Austria and Switzerland met them in Benghazi. Swiss authorities said Abbt was doing well under the circumstances and was on her way back to Switzerland. Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis expressed relief at her release. After her kidnapping became known, Switzerland’s foreign ministry established a task force involving police and intelligence resources to help secure her freedom. Austria said Gretzmacher had been received by a crisis response team following intensive diplomatic efforts. Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger described the more-than-21-month captivity as an unimaginable ordeal for Gretzmacher and her family, while expressing relief that she was free. The article reports the release and official responses but does not provide details about the negotiations or the circumstances of the women’s captivity.

Austrian aid worker Eva Gretzmacher, 76, and Swiss community worker Claudia Abbt, 69, have been freed after more than a year in captivity. The women were kidnapped separately in Agadez, northern Niger, in January and April of the previous year, and were handed over to authorities in Benghazi, eastern Libya. The identities of their captors, their motives and the circumstances of the release have not been made public. Earlier reports had linked the kidnappings to Islamic State militants, but this has not been confirmed. Both governments confirmed the women’s release. Austria’s Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger said Gretzmacher was free following intensive diplomatic efforts and described the work with regional, European and international partners. Switzerland said officials had met Abbt in Benghazi, where she received medical care, and that she was doing well under the circumstances and on her way home. Swiss Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis also expressed relief. Switzerland said it had formed a task force involving foreign affairs officials, police and other agencies, and had remained in contact with Austria. Libyan officials had said the women would be transferred to their respective countries after necessary procedures. Libyan television showed them entering what appeared to be an ambulance and receiving attention from a health worker. In French, the women thanked eastern Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar and his son Saddam Haftar for their release. A news outlet reported that a plane was expected to leave Benghazi, stopping in Vienna before continuing to Switzerland. The article places the release in the context of instability in Libya and the wider Sahel. Libya remains divided between rival administrations in the east and west, following the turmoil after the 2011 uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi. The article notes that former Libyan recruitment of Tuareg fighters from Mali and Niger is seen by analysts as one factor in Sahelian instability. Niger has endured jihadist violence, including kidnappings and deadly attacks by groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State, and has been under military rule since General Abdourahmane Tchiani deposed elected President Mohamed Bazoum in 2023.

Two women from Austria and Switzerland who were abducted in Niger in 2025 have been released after more than a year in captivity, according to multiple reports. Libyan media said the women were flown to Benghazi, in eastern Libya. Austrian authorities identified the Austrian woman as Eva G.; the Swiss woman was not previously named by Switzerland’s foreign ministry, though media reports identified her as Claudia Abbt. Reports say Eva G. is in her 70s and Abbt is 69. Both had worked on education and development initiatives in Niger. Eva G. was kidnapped in the central Nigerien desert town of Agadez in January 2025, while Abbt was abducted in April of that year. At the time of publication, it was not clear which group had held them or what demands, if any, the kidnappers had made. Libyan television channel al-Masar TV released video showing the women after their release. They appeared physically weakened and thanked Khalifa Hifter, deputy commander-in-chief of Libya’s armed forces, and his son Saddam. Hifter reportedly oversaw the operation that secured their freedom. In the video, Eva G. said she had been held hostage for a year and nine months; Abbt said she was happy to be free. DW cautioned that it had not independently verified the video. The article notes that Libya and Niger share a long border through the Sahara Desert, with Algeria and Chad also bordering Libya. Libya remains politically divided following the turmoil after the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled Moammar Gadhafi. A UN-recognized government led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah and a rival eastern administration backed by Hifter are competing for power.