Two European women kidnapped in Niger freed in Benghazi via Haftar

According to Africanews, Claudia Abbt of Switzerland was seized in April 2025 and Eva Gretzmacher of Austria on 11 January 2025; both women worked on education and development projects in Agadez. Bern and Vienna announced the release on 22 October. Citing the outlet Al-Masar, Swissinfo reports that Saddam Haftar, deputy commander-in-chief of the Libyan armed forces, intervened; in a video recorded in French, the women thanked Khalifa Haftar and his son. Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger said Gretzmacher was free after more than 21 months.

The sources diverge on 2 details. Some outlets reversed the women's nationalities; Africanews and Swissinfo report that the Swiss woman is 69. Analysts and the Nigerien press attribute the kidnapping to Islamic State's Sahel branch or an affiliated group, but that link could not be verified. Nor has any information been made public on whether a ransom was paid.

The real significance lies in who brokered the deal. Haftar's forces, which control eastern and southern Libya, showed once again that they can reach armed groups in the Sahel through the Saharan corridor along the Niger border. Swissinfo says kidnappings in Niger have risen over the past year, pointing to higher risk for foreign organisations working in northern towns such as Agadez. That the release was announced in Benghazi rather than Niamey shows that 2 European capitals in effect relied on a single intermediary in Libya to resolve a hostage case in Niger.