A Swiss woman and an Austrian woman kidnapped in Niger have been released after spending more than a year in captivity, authorities in Switzerland and Austria confirmed on Thursday.
Swiss national Claudia Abbt, 69, and Austrian citizen Eva Gretzmacher, 76, were taken to Benghazi in eastern Libya following their release, according to AFP.
Abbt was kidnapped in Niger on April 13, 2025, while Gretzmacher had been held since January 11, 2025. Both women had been living in Agadez in northern Niger when they were abducted.
No group has publicly claimed responsibility for either kidnapping.
“The Swiss citizen who was kidnapped in Niger on April 13, 2025, has been released,” Switzerland’s foreign ministry said.
“She was met in Benghazi, Libya, by Swiss federal administration staff and received medical care. She is doing well under the circumstances and is currently on her way back to Switzerland.”
Austria also confirmed Gretzmacher’s release, saying an Austrian crisis response team received her on Thursday after intensive diplomatic efforts.
Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger described the more than 21 months Gretzmacher spent in captivity as an unimaginable ordeal for her and her family.
“We are all very relieved that Eva G. is free again after more than 21 months,” Meinl-Reisinger said.
“For many months, we worked closely, discreetly and in a spirit of trust with our regional, European, and international partners. These joint efforts have paid off.”
Women taken to Benghazi after release
Libyan media reported that the two women arrived in Benghazi following an intervention by military commander Khalifa Haftar, whose forces control eastern Libya and parts of the country’s south.
The women later appeared in footage broadcast by eastern Libya-based television channel Al-Masar.
Sitting beneath a portrait of Haftar, Abbt and Gretzmacher spoke in French, confirming their names, ages, nationalities and how long they had been held.
They also thanked Haftar and his son Saddam for their role in securing their release.
Photographs circulated by several media organisations showed the women seated inside an aircraft.
A Malian security source told AFP that the pair had been flown from Niger to Benghazi early Wednesday.
“The two had been held for a time in northern Mali, but the resolution came from the Libyan side, notably involving the Haftar clan,” the source said.
Switzerland welcomes Abbt’s release
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis welcomed Abbt’s freedom after more than a year and a half in captivity.
“I am relieved that the kidnapped Swiss woman is free again after more than a year and a half,” Cassis said.
“I would like to thank all parties involved, both in Switzerland and abroad, that worked tirelessly to secure her release.”
Switzerland established a task force involving police and intelligence resources after Abbt’s kidnapping became known.
The Swiss foreign ministry thanked national and international partners involved in efforts to secure her freedom but said it would not disclose further details because of privacy considerations.
While responsibility for the kidnappings remains unclaimed, experts and Nigerien media have suggested that the Islamic State in the Sahel or affiliated groups could have been involved. There has been no public confirmation establishing the group’s responsibility.
The women’s arrival in Benghazi also highlighted Libya’s continuing political division.
The country has remained divided since the 2011 uprising and conflict that led to the overthrow of longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Libya currently has rival centres of power, with the UN-recognised government in Tripoli led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah and an eastern administration in Benghazi backed by Haftar.
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