Two European Hostages Freed in Niger

Two European women abducted in Niger in 2025 have been released after spending more than a year in captivity, according to Libyan media reports.

Swiss national Eva Gretzmacher, 76, and Austrian citizen Claudia Abbt, 69, arrived in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi following their release. Libya’s eastern-based Al-Masar TV reported that the two women had been freed after being held hostage in Niger for about a year and a half.

Footage broadcast by Al-Masar showed Gretzmacher and Abbt thanking eastern Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar and his son, Saddam Haftar, for their role in securing their freedom.

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Gretzmacher, speaking in French, identified herself and said she was grateful to Haftar and his son. She said she had spent one year and nine months in captivity. Abbt also expressed relief following her release, saying she was happy to be free and thanking the Haftar family.

Sunset over the desert town of Agadez, Niger [File: Akintunde Akinleye/Reuters]

The Libyan News Observatory also reported the release of the Swiss and Austrian nationals. Further details about the circumstances surrounding their abduction, where they were held or how their release was secured were not immediately available.

Niger and parts of the wider Sahel region have faced persistent security challenges, including kidnappings involving foreign nationals.

The women’s arrival in Benghazi also draws attention to eastern Libya, where Haftar remains a major political and military figure.

Libya has remained politically divided since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that removed longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi. The country currently has rival administrations: the UN-recognised government in Tripoli, led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, and an eastern administration backed by Haftar

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Tope Oke

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