Libya recovers Swiss, Austrian women kidnapped since 2025 in Niger

Two women, Swiss national Eva Gretzmacher, 76, and Austrian Claudia Abbt, 69, have been released after spending more than a year in captivity in Niger, arriving safely in Libya’s eastern city of Benghazi, according to Libyan media reports on Thursday.

The two women were abducted in Niger in 2025. In a video released by Libya’s eastern-based al-Masar TV, the women appeared emaciated and expressed gratitude to the country’s eastern-based military commander Khalifa Haftar and his son, Saddam, for securing their release.

Al-Masar reported that "two hostages, an Austrian and a Swiss national, have been freed after being held captive in Niger for a year and a half".

"My name is Eva Gretzmacher, I am 76, and I thank from the bottom of my heart Marshal Haftar and his son, Saddam, who released us," one of the women said in French.
"I had been held hostage for a year and nine months," she added.

Abbt stated that she was "happy to be free", while also thanking Haftar.

The online website Libyan News Observatory also reported on their release.

Libya has struggled to recover from the chaos following the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi. Currently, two rival governments are vying for power: a UN-recognized administration in Tripoli led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah and a rival administration in the east backed by Haftar.