Two European Women Freed in Libya After Over a Year Held Captive in Niger

Two European women who spent more than a year in captivity after being abducted in Niger have been successfully freed and transferred to authorities in the Libyan city of Benghazi.

The released individuals are 76-year-old Swiss national Eva Gretzmacher, an aid worker who lived in Niger for many years, and 69-year-old Austrian Claudia Abbt, a community worker in Agadez. Both women were kidnapped separately in Agadez in January and April of the previous year.

While specific details regarding their captors, ransom demands, and the exact circumstances of their liberation remain undisclosed, previous reports had linked the incidents to Islamic State militants operating in the wider Sahel region.

Footage broadcast by Libya’s al-Masar TV showed the women receiving medical attention and entering an ambulance. Speaking in French, both women expressed their gratitude to eastern Libya’s military commander, Khalifa Haftar, and his son, Saddam Haftar, for securing their release.

Local media reports indicated that a flight was scheduled to depart Benghazi to repatriate the women. The aircraft was set to stop in Vienna to transfer Abbt to Austrian authorities before proceeding to Switzerland with Gretzmacher.

Niger and the broader Sahel region have grappled with persistent jihadist violence and abductions by groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. Niger itself has remained under military rule following the 2023 overthrow of the country’s elected president.

For more details on this development, read the original report on Nile Post.