Two European Women Freed After Long Captivity in Niger, Arrive in Libya

Two European women who were kidnapped in Niger in 2025 and held for well over a year have been freed and have arrived in Benghazi, Libya, officials confirmed on Thursday, October 22, 2026.

Eva Gretzmacher, 76, an Austrian aid worker, and Claudia Abbt, 69, a Swiss community worker, reached the eastern Libyan city during the night between Wednesday and Thursday. Libyan television channel al-Masar announced the release and broadcast video of the two women. They looked tired and weakened in the footage. Both thanked eastern Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar and his son Saddam Haftar, the deputy commander in chief, for their release.

Two long captivities in Agadez

Both women had lived and worked in Agadez, a town in northern Niger. Gretzmacher, who had lived in Niger for many years, was kidnapped in Agadez in January 2025. She was held for one year and nine months. Austria said she was free after more than 21 months.

Abbt had worked as a community worker in Agadez. She was kidnapped in Agadez in April 2025 and held for a year and a half.

Libyan officials said the women would be handed over to authorities in their own countries after the necessary procedures. A plane was expected to leave Benghazi on Thursday, stopping in Vienna before continuing to Switzerland, according to the privately owned Air Info Agadez outlet.

Relief in Bern and Vienna

The Swiss government confirmed that Abbt was free. Swiss federal officials met her in Benghazi, she received medical care, and officials said she was doing well under the circumstances. She was on her way back to Switzerland. Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis said he was relieved she was free after more than a year and a half. Switzerland had set up a task force after the kidnapping and stayed in regular contact with Austria.

Austria's Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger said joint efforts with regional, European and international partners had paid off after intensive diplomatic efforts. She said Gretzmacher was free after more than 21 months.

What is still not known

It is not clear who was holding the women or what demands were made. The circumstances of the release were not disclosed. Some earlier reports linked the kidnapping to Islamic State militants, but officials did not confirm who the captors were.

Niger is fighting a jihadist insurgency linked to al Qaeda and the Islamic State. Kidnappings in Niger have intensified over the last year, and aid workers and other foreign nationals working in remote towns face a high risk. Agadez sits on old trade routes across the Sahara and has long drawn aid workers, traders and travellers, even as security across northern Niger has worsened.

For both families, the wait is now over. After 21 months for Gretzmacher and a year and a half for Abbt, the two women are out of Niger and on their way home.