Two Women Held in Niger Freed and Handed Over in Libya
Two women held captive in Niger for more than a year have been freed and handed over to authorities in Benghazi, a city in eastern Libya. They are Eva Gretzmacher, a 76-year-old Swiss national, and Claudia Abbt, a 69-year-old Austrian, according to the BBC.
Reuters reported a day earlier, citing sources, that the two women had reached Benghazi. Their release follows months of uncertainty for their families and governments.
Gretzmacher is an aid worker who lived for many years in Niger. Abbt spent several years living and working as a community worker in Agadez, a town in northern Niger. The two were kidnapped separately in Agadez, in January and April 2025.
In September, Austria said it had "encouraging news" about an Austrian woman taken hostage in Niger in 2025. At that point, her release had not yet been secured.
The two freed women thanked Khalifa Haftar, the military commander of eastern Libya, and his son Saddam Haftar for their release. The BBC reported that a plane carrying the women was expected to leave Benghazi on Thursday, first stopping in Vienna before continuing to Switzerland.
