Two aid workers abducted in Niger freed after nearly two years
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Fides
Humanitarian workers Eva Gretzmacher, an Austrian national, and Claudia Abbt, a Swiss national, have been released after nearly two years in captivity following their separate abductions in Agadez, Niger. They arrived in Benghazi, Libya, before being transferred to Austria and Switzerland, according to Fides, citing Air Info.
Humanitarian workers Eva Gretzmacher, an Austrian national, and Claudia Abbt, a Swiss national, who were abducted separately in Agadez, Niger, have been released and arrived in Benghazi, Libya, on Wednesday 21 October, according to Nigerien news agency Air Info, cited by Fides.
A plane was due to leave Benghazi on Thursday 22 October, stopping in Vienna to hand Gretzmacher over to the Austrian authorities before continuing to Switzerland with Abbt. The circumstances of their release have not been made public, Fides reports. Several sources attribute the abductions to Islamic State in the Sahel, while media reports suggest that Saddam Haftar, son of Libyan Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, may have played a role, although this has not been officially confirmed.
Gretzmacher was abducted from her home in Agadez on 11 January 2025, and Abbt was kidnapped in the same city in April that year. Their arrival in Libya follows reports in September that they had been released, and the announcement that they were being transferred from Agadez on 21 October. The two women had previously been reported released and transferred to Libya.
Summary produced with the help of artificial intelligence tools, under AFREEQUE’s editorial responsibility.
