Swiss and Austrian Aid Workers Freed in Libya After Year-Long Captivity in Niger

A Swiss national and an Austrian citizen have been released after more than a year in captivity in Niger and transferred to authorities in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi.

Eva Gretzmacher, 76, from Switzerland, and Claudia Abbt, 69, from Austria, were abducted separately in the northern Nigerien city of Agadez in January and April of last year, respectively.

Authorities have not disclosed the identity of their captors or any demands made, though previous reports suggested links to Islamic State militants. The circumstances surrounding their release remain unclear.

Libyan officials stated the women would be repatriated to their home countries once administrative procedures are finalized.

Footage from Libya’s al-Masar TV showed the pair entering an ambulance and receiving medical attention from health workers.

Speaking in French, the women expressed gratitude to eastern Libya’s military commander, Khalifa Haftar, and his son, Saddam Haftar, for securing their freedom.

Gretzmacher, a longtime aid worker and resident of Niger, and Abbt, who spent several years as a community worker in Agadez, were both well-established in the region.

According to the privately owned Air Info Agadez news outlet, a flight was scheduled to depart Benghazi on Thursday, stopping first in Vienna to hand Abbt over to Austrian authorities before proceeding to Switzerland with Gretzmacher.

Libya has struggled to stabilize since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that ousted longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi.

The country remains divided between two rival administrations: an eastern government backed by Haftar and a western, internationally recognized government in Tripoli led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah.

Niger and the wider Sahel region have endured years of jihadist violence, including kidnappings and lethal attacks perpetrated by groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and Islamic State.

Niger has been under military rule since 2023, when General Abdourahmane Tchiani ousted the democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum.

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