Libya frees Swiss, Austrian women held captive in Niger
09:46, 22/10/2026, Thursday
AFP
File photo
Two European nationals abducted in Niger more than a year ago have arrived in Benghazi following their release, thanking Libya's eastern commander Khalifa Haftar for securing their freedom.
Two European nationals held captive in Niger for more than a year arrived in Libya's eastern city of Benghazi on Thursday following their release, Libyan media outlets reported. Swiss citizen Eva Gretzmacher, 76, and Austrian national Claudia Abbt, 69, had been abducted in the Sahel country in 2025 before being transferred to the coastal city.
Year-long ordeal
In a video broadcast by eastern-based al-Masar TV, the women appeared visibly frail after spending one and a half years in captivity. "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," Gretzmacher said in French. She noted that she had been held hostage for a year and nine months, while Abbt stated she was "happy to be free" and also extended thanks to the commander.
Libya's divided governance
The release was secured by Khalifa Haftar, the powerful military commander whose forces control eastern Libya and back a rival administration to the UN-recognized government in Tripoli led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah. Libya has remained divided between competing factions since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi, with Haftar's Libyan National Army dominating the eastern region including Benghazi.
