Madar (Niamey) - Austrian Eva Gretzmacher and Swiss national Claudia Abbt, held for more than a year and a half by Islamic State Sahel after being kidnapped in Niger, have been freed and flown to Benghazi, Libya, Jeune Afrique reported on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, citing its own information.
According to the magazine, the two women boarded a plane chartered by the Libyan National Army (LNA) in Sebha at around 12:30 GMT on Wednesday, which landed in Benghazi shortly afterwards. The mediation was orchestrated by Saddam Haftar, who is seeking to establish political influence in the Sahel, it said.
Gretzmacher was kidnapped from her home in Agadez, northern Niger, on January 11, 2025, and Abbt was also abducted in Agadez in April of the same year.
Austrian media reported on September 11 that a release was under way, quoting Gretzmacher's son as saying she was "no longer with the kidnappers". There was no official confirmation from Vienna or Bern at the time of publication.
Later on Wednesday evening, two official sources speaking on condition of anonymity told Reuters that the Austrian and Swiss women had arrived in Benghazi after being freed from more than 18 months of abduction and detention in Niger. They will be handed over to the authorities of their respective countries once the necessary procedures are completed, the sources said.
Update, Thursday, October 22: Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger confirmed in a statement that the Austrian national, "Eva G.", had been received by Austria's crisis team, saying the country was relieved she was free "after more than 21 months" and that Austria had worked with Switzerland to find "a safe solution" for the two women, the AP news agency reported. Swiss media quoted the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs as confirming the Swiss woman's release. Officials did not say who was behind the abductions or how the women were freed.
