In brief
Swiss aid worker Eva Gretzmacher and Austrian community worker Claudia Abbt were separately kidnapped in northern Niger in January and April 2025. After a year of unclear captivity, Libyan authorities released them in Benghazi, where they were photographed entering an ambulance and publicly thanked Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar. The women will be transferred to Austria for paperwork and then to Switzerland for repatriation. Their abduction highlights the fragile security climate across the Sahel and Libya’s ongoing instability.
Two European women freed after more than a year of captivity in Niger
Swiss aid worker Eva Gretzmacher, 76, and Austrian community worker Claudia Abbt, 69, were abducted separately in the northern Nigerien city of Agadez in January and April 2025. Their captors remain unknown, and no demands have been disclosed, though some reports link the abductions to Islamic State affiliates.
The women were handed over to Libyan authorities in the eastern city of Benghazi, where they were photographed entering an ambulance. Libyan officials said the release will be followed by the handing over of the women to their respective home governments after necessary procedures.
Both women thanked military commander Khalifa Haftar and his son, Saddam Haftar, in a brief interview in French for the “release.” The pair are expected to travel first to Vienna for paperwork, then to Switzerland for final repatriation.
This incident highlights the ongoing security crisis in the Sahel, where Niger has faced an escalating threat from jihadist groups such as al‑Qaeda‑IS affiliates. Meanwhile, Libya remains split between an eastern administration backed by Haftar and a western administration in Tripoli, reflecting the country’s persisted turbulence since the 2011 Gaddafi era. The rescue of these hostages underscores both the dangers faced by foreigners in the region and the international community’s mounting concern over fragile states and extremist threats.
