Libya recovers Swiss and Austrian women kidnapped in Niger since 2025

Eva Gretzmacher, a 76-year-old Swiss woman, and Claudia Abbt, a 69-year-old Austrian woman, were released after more than a year in captivity in Niger and arrived in Benghazi, eastern Libya. The women, abducted in 2025, thanked military commander Khalifa Haftar and his son Saddam for their release in a video. Gretzmacher said she had been held hostage for a year and nine months, while Abbt said she was happy to be free.