Two European Women Freed in Libya After More Than a Year Held Captive in Niger
Two European women have been freed after more than a year in captivity. Swiss national Eva Gretzmacher, 76, and Austrian Claudia Abbt, 69, were handed over to authorities in the Libyan city of Benghazi.
Both women had been kidnapped in the West African country of Niger. They were taken separately from the northern city of Agadez — one in January last year and the other in April.
No details have been given about who was holding them or what their demands were, although some reports have previously linked the kidnapping to Islamic State militants. The circumstances of their release were also not disclosed.
Libyan officials were reported as saying the women would be handed over to authorities in their respective countries after necessary procedures were completed. Reports said they were due to fly home on Thursday.
Libya's al-Masar TV showed the two women entering what looked like an ambulance and later being attended to by 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.
Gretzmacher was an aid worker who had lived in Niger for many years, while Abbt had spent several years living and working as a community worker in Agadez.
The privately owned Air Info Agadez news outlet reported that a plane was expected to leave Benghazi on Thursday, travelling via Vienna to deliver them to the authorities of their home countries.
Behind this release lies the region's long instability. Libya has still not fully recovered from the chaos that followed the 2011 Nato-backed uprising that toppled long-time ruler Muammar Gaddafi.
The country is split between two administrations — one in the east backed by Haftar, and the other in the west in the capital Tripoli, led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah.
Niger and the broader Sahel region, meanwhile, have faced years of jihadist violence. Attacks and kidnappings by different groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State have become regular occurrences there.
Niger has been under military control since 2023, when Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani deposed the country's elected president, Mohamed Bazoum. Against that backdrop, the release of the two captives after more than a year is a great relief for their families.
