The key facts
- Austrian Eva G. and Swiss national Claudia Abt were freed after more than a year in captivity and flown out to Benghazi, Libyan media report
- Eva G. was kidnapped in Agadez in January 2025, Abbt in April 2025
- In a video on the al-Masar channel, both thanked Khalifa Haftar and his son Saddam; DW has not independently verified the recording
Two hostages freed after more than a year in captivity
Niger has freed two women — an Austrian and a Swiss national — who had been held captive for more than a year, several outlets report. According to Libyan media, on Thursday they were flown out to the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi.
Circumstances of the abductions
Austrian authorities identified their national as Eva G., who is in her seventies. She was kidnapped in January 2025 in the desert city of Agadez in central Niger. The Swiss woman, whom media identify as Claudia Abbt, 69, was kidnapped in April 2025. The Swiss Foreign Ministry had not previously named her. It was not immediately clear which group had held the women or what demands it had made.
Video and thanks to Haftar
The Libyan TV channel al-Masar published a video in which the women appear physically weakened. Both thanked Khalifa Haftar, deputy commander-in-chief of the Libyan armed forces, and his son Saddam. According to reports, Haftar oversaw the release operation. 'I spent a year and nine months in captivity,' said Eva G. Abbt declared that she was 'happy to be free,' also thanking Haftar. DW noted that it has not yet independently verified the video.
Context
Libya and Niger share a border stretching hundreds of miles across the Sahara, with Algeria and Chad on either side. Libya is struggling to recover from the chaos that followed the NATO-backed 2011 uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi. Two governments are vying for power in the country: the UN-recognized government of Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibeh and an eastern rival backed by Haftar.
