Austrian, Swiss women kidnapped in Niger are freed — report
An Austrian woman and a Swiss woman kidnapped in Niger have been freed after 18 months in captivity, local reports say.
Two women, a Swiss national and an Austrian woman, were released from captivity in Niger after being held for over a year, according to multiple reports. The women, identified as Eva G., aged 70, and Claudia Abbt, aged 69, were flown to Benghazi, a city in Libya's eastern region, as per Libyan media outlets. Eva G. had been abducted in the desert town of Agadez in central Niger in January 2025, while Abbt was kidnapped in April of the same year.
The group holding them and their demands remain unclear. In a video released by Libya's al-Masar TV, the women appeared physically frail and expressed gratitude to Khalifa Haftar and his son, Saddam, for their release. Haftar is believed to have overseen the operation that freed the women. Eva G. stated she had been held hostage for a year and nine months, while Abbt expressed her happiness at being free and thanked Haftar.
Both women shared their relief at finally being freed. The border region between Libya and Niger, located in the vast Sahara Desert, connects with Algeria and Chad on either side. Libya has faced instability since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that ousted longtime ruler Moammar Gaddafi, with two rival governments vying for power. The release of the women has not been independently verified through a direct statement from DW.
Written by urgent.news from DW English (Top Stories)'s reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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