Freed European Hostages Return Home From Libya

UPDATE - follow-up to Two European women held captive for more than a year in Niger freed in Libya: Austrian national Eva Gretzmacher and Swiss citizen Claudia Abbt are returning home after being freed in the Libyan city of Benghazi.

Release and Return

The two women were kidnapped separately in Agadez in northern Niger last year. Gretzmacher, 76, is an aid worker who spent many years in Niger, while Abbt, 69, worked as a community worker in the city. Austrian and Swiss officials confirmed their release following intensive diplomatic efforts and joint work with regional and international partners. Swiss officials met Abbt in Benghazi to provide medical care before her journey home. Libyan media showed the women entering an ambulance and speaking in French to thank eastern Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar and his son Saddam Haftar for their release.

Context

Libya remains divided between two rival administrations in the east and west following the 2011 uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi. Meanwhile, Niger and the wider Sahel region have experienced growing instability and jihadist violence involving groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State since a military takeover in 2023.