Two Swiss and Austrian Aid Workers Freed in Libya After Year in Captivity

Two women from Switzerland and Austria have been freed after spending more than a year as captives in Niger, and officials handed them over in the Libyan city of Benghazi.

Release Details

Swiss national Eva Gretzmacher, who is 76, and Austrian Claudia Abbt, who is 69, were kidnapped in the northern Nigerien city of Agadez in January and April of last year. Authorities have not shared details about who held them or what they demanded, though past reports connected the kidnappings to Islamic State militants. Libyan TV showed the women getting into an ambulance and receiving medical care. Speaking in French, both women thanked eastern Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar and his son Saddam Haftar for securing their freedom. A plane was scheduled to leave Benghazi on Thursday to take Gretzmacher to Vienna and then continue to Switzerland with Abbt.

Context

Libya remains deeply divided between two rival administrations after years of conflict, while Niger and the wider Sahel region have struggled with frequent jihadist violence and kidnappings by groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State. Foreign aid workers in the region often face high security risks due to ongoing political instability and armed conflict.