Two European women held captive for more than a year in Niger freed in Libya

Two European women—76-year-old Swiss national Eva Gretzmacher and 69-year-old Austrian Claudia Abbt—have been freed after being held captive for more than a year. The women, who were originally kidnapped separately in the northern Nigerien city of Niger, were released and handed over to authorities in the Libyan eastern city of Benghazi.

The captives had been held since 2025 following their abductions in Niger. Their release and subsequent arrival in Benghazi were documented by local Libyan media outlets on Thursday, marking the conclusion of their prolonged detention.