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Libya Frees Swiss, Austrian Women Kidnapped in Niger in 2025
Two European women who were kidnapped in Niger in 2025 have been released after spending more than a year in captivity and have arrived in Benghazi, eastern Libya, according to Libyan media reports.
The women were identified as Eva Gretzmacher, 76, a Swiss national, and Claudia Abbt, 69, from Austria. They were reportedly held hostage for about a year and nine months before their release.
In a video broadcast by Al-Masar TV, a media outlet based in eastern Libya, the two women appeared visibly frail and expressed gratitude to eastern Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar and his son, Saddam Haftar, for helping secure their freedom.
Gretzmacher, speaking in French, introduced herself and thanked the two men for their role in securing their release.
“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,” she said.
She added that she had been held captive for one year and nine months.
Abbt also expressed relief at regaining her freedom, saying she was happy to be free and thanking Haftar for his involvement in the operation.
Al-Masar TV reported that the two hostages had been freed after approximately 18 months in captivity in Niger. The Libyan News Observatory also reported their release.
However, details surrounding the circumstances of their abduction, the location where they were held and the specific arrangements that led to their release were not immediately disclosed in the reports.
The release comes as Libya continues to grapple with political divisions and instability that followed the 2011 uprising, backed by NATO, which toppled longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi.
The North African country remains divided between two rival administrations. The internationally recognised government, led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, operates from the capital, Tripoli, in the west, while a rival administration in the east is backed by forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar.
The reported operation highlights the involvement of authorities in eastern Libya in securing the freedom of the two European women abducted in neighbouring Niger.
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