Austrian and Swiss hostages reportedly freed after 18 months in Niger

An Austrian woman abducted in Niger has reportedly been freed alongside a Swiss woman after a year and a half in captivity, ORF reported, citing Reuters and a Libyan broadcaster.

The broadcaster said the women had been taken to Benghazi in eastern Libya. It aired a video showing them thanking Khalifa Haftar, a supporter of Libya’s rival government, for their release.

The Viennese woman’s son had also announced her release on Facebook the previous evening. Austria’s Foreign Ministry had not commented at the time of ORF’s report.

The woman was abducted from her home by criminals on January 11, 2025, and may later have been handed over to a terrorist group. She had lived for nearly three decades in Agadez, on the edge of the Sahara, where she worked to support young people’s education.