{
  "id": 15989768,
  "title": "Austrian, Swiss women kidnapped in Niger are freed — report",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/22/austrian-swiss-women-kidnapped-in-niger-are-freed-report",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-22T02:54:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "DW English (Top Stories)",
    "slug": "dw-english-top-stories",
    "url": "https://www.dw.com/en/austrian-swiss-women-kidnapped-in-niger-are-freed-report/a-79727419?maca=en-rss-en-top-1022-xml-mrss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.",
  "summary": "An Austrian woman and a Swiss woman kidnapped in Niger have been freed after 18 months in captivity, local reports say.",
  "key_points": [
    "Swiss Eva G., 70, and Austrian Claudia Abbt, 69, freed from Niger captivity",
    "Women abducted in January and April 2025, held over a year",
    "Libyan al-Masar TV video shows frail women expressing gratitude to Haftar"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The release of these long-term captives highlights the growing influence of Libyan factions in managing regional security crises and negotiating hostage situations within the unstable Sahara Desert borderlands.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "DW News",
        "title": "Austrian, Swiss women kidnapped in Niger are freed — report",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/22/austrian-swiss-women-kidnapped-in-niger-are-freed-report-15992736",
        "published": "2026-10-22T02:54:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}