Libya frees two European hostages held in Niger

Eva Gretzmacher, a 76-year-old Swiss woman, and Claudia Abbt, a 69-year-old Austrian woman, were freed after more than a year in captivity in Niger and arrived in Benghazi, eastern Libya. Kidnapped in 2025, they thanked Marshal Khalifa Haftar and his son Saddam Haftar in a video; Saddam reportedly took part in efforts to secure their release following appeals from their families. Gretzmacher described her captivity as lasting “one year and nine months,” while Abbt said she was glad to be free. Libya remains divided between the UN-recognised government in Tripoli and a rival authority in the east, controlled by Haftar’s forces.