Two European women, who were held captive for more than a year after being kidnapped separately in Niger, have been freed and transferred to authorities in eastern Libya.
Swiss national Eva Gretzmacher, 76, and Austrian Claudia Abbt, 69, were handed over in Benghazi after their release, which authorities have yet to disclose the circumstances of.
The women were kidnapped in the northern Nigerien city of Agadez in January and April last year, and authorities have not disclosed their captors or any demands they made during their captivity. Some previous reports linked the kidnappings to Islamic State militants, but this has not been confirmed.
Libyan authorities reportedly said the women would be transferred to authorities in their respective countries after the necessary procedures had been completed. Footage broadcast by Libya’s al-Masar TV showed the women entering what appeared to be an ambulance, with a health worker later tending to them.
Speaking in French, the women thanked Khalifa Haftar, the military commander in eastern Libya, and his son, Saddam Haftar, for securing their release. Gretzmacher worked as an aid worker and had lived in Niger for many years, while Abbt had also 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, with a stop in Vienna before heading to Switzerland. The report said the planned journey would allow Gretzmacher to be transferred to Austrian authorities before the aircraft continued to Switzerland with Abbt.
The release comes against a backdrop of prolonged instability in Libya and persistent insecurity across Niger and the wider Sahel region. Libya remains divided between rival administrations, one in the east with the backing of Haftar, and one in the capital, Tripoli, with Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah.
The country has struggled to recover from the upheaval that followed the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Meanwhile, Niger and neighbouring Sahel countries have endured years of jihadist violence, including kidnappings and deadly attacks by groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State.
Niger has been under military rule since 2023, when General Abdourahmane Tchiani deposed the country’s elected president, Mohamed Bazoum. Although the women have been freed, details about their captors, the circumstances of their release and the negotiations, if any, remain undisclosed.
