Two European women who were held captive for more than a year in Niger have been freed and handed over to authorities in the Libyan city of Benghazi. They are Swiss national Eva Gretzmacher, 76, and Austrian Claudia Abbt, 69.
Both women were abducted in the northern Nigerien city of Agadez, in separate incidents in January and April last year. No details have been released about who held them or what they wanted, and the circumstances of their release have not been disclosed. Some earlier reports had linked the kidnapping to Islamic State militants.
Release in eastern Libya and thanks to the Haftars
Libyan officials said the women would be handed over to authorities in their home countries once the necessary procedures were complete. Footage broadcast by Libya’s al-Masar TV showed the pair entering what appeared to be an ambulance, then receiving care from a health worker.
Speaking in French, the women thanked Khalifa Haftar, the military commander of eastern Libya, and his son, Saddam Haftar, for their release.
Who the two women were in Niger
Gretzmacher had worked as an aid worker and had lived in Niger for many years. Abbt had spent several years in Agadez as a community worker.
A privately owned news outlet reported that a plane was expected to leave Benghazi on Thursday. It would first stop in Vienna so Gretzmacher could be transferred to Austrian authorities, then continue to Switzerland with Abbt.
Jihadist violence and divided authority in the region
Niger and the wider Sahel have faced years of jihadist violence, including kidnappings and deadly attacks by groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State. The country has been under military control since 2023, when Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani deposed the elected president, Mohamed Bazoum.
Libya is still struggling to recover from the chaos that followed the 2011 Nato-backed uprising that toppled long-time ruler Muammar Gaddafi. The country is split between an eastern administration backed by Haftar and a western government in Tripoli led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah.
