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The women identified as 76-year-old Austrian Eva Gretzmacher and 69-year-old Swiss Claudia Abbt appeared exhausted in a video aired by Libyan broadcaster Al-Masar TV after their arrival in Benghazi late on October 21. In the footage the pair thanked Libyan National Army figures for securing their release following family appeals. Gretzmacher had been living in Niger since 1996 where she founded a cultural association called Amanay while Abbt had also resided in the country for years according to Austrian and Swiss media reports.
Gretzmacher was seized from her home in the central desert town of Agadez in January 2025 and Abbt suffered the same fate in April 2025 from her residence in the same location Reuters reported. The pair were held in the volatile border area between Niger and Mali by militants linked to the Islamic State in the Sahel group according to reporting by Swiss broadcaster RTS. Austrian Foreign Ministry officials had described encouraging signs about a possible release in September but cautioned that the complex handover process remained incomplete at that time.
The operation to free the women was overseen by Saddam Haftar the deputy commander-in-chief of Libya’s armed forces who acted at the request of their families two Libyan officials told Reuters on condition of anonymity. Libyan special forces then secured the women’s transfer to Benghazi where they would undergo necessary procedures before handover to Austrian and Swiss authorities sources in the media department of the self-styled Libyan National Army told dpa. Christoph Gretzmacher the Austrian woman’s son posted on Facebook that his mother had endured nearly 21 months in captivity while Abbt had been held for about 18 months before the flight to Libya.
In the video broadcast by Al-Masar TV Abbt said “I am Swiss. I am 69 years old. I was taken hostage a year and six months ago. Now I am glad to be free and thank Marshal Khalifa Haftar and his son General Saddam Haftar for everything they did for my release.” Gretzmacher stated “I am Austrian and 76 years old. I thank Marshal Khalifa Haftar and his son Saddam who freed us from the bottom of my heart. One year and nine months as a hostage.” Both women delivered their remarks in French while seated beneath a portrait of Marshal Khalifa Haftar according to multiple regional outlets that carried the footage.
The releases come against the backdrop of a persistent jihadist insurgency across Niger and the Sahel that has escalated since a Tuareg rebellion in northern Mali in 2012 gave rise to factions affiliated with al Qaeda and Islamic State Reuters noted. Neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso face similar militant threats that have triggered repeated hostage incidents in recent years. Austrian police visited Niger at least once to advance negotiations despite diplomatic complications following the country’s 2023 coup Swiss media reported citing RTS.
No information has emerged about the specific group that held the women or any demands that may have been made during their captivity according to Austrian authorities. The successful Libyan intervention underscores how security challenges in the Sahel often require cross-border coordination with actors in North Africa. The women are expected to return home after medical checks and debriefings once formalities in Benghazi conclude.
