Swiss and Austrian hostages arrive in Libya after release

A Swiss woman and an Austrian woman abducted in Niger more than a year ago have been released and arrived in Benghazi, eastern Libya, SRF reported, citing a local television channel. Switzerland’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs had not commented on the reports.

Libyan broadcaster al-Masar said the women had been freed after 18 months in captivity following an intervention by Saddam Haftar, deputy commander-in-chief of the Libyan army. The channel said he acted at the request of their families.

In a video broadcast by al-Masar, the 69-year-old Swiss woman said she had been held hostage for a year and six months. She thanked Marshal Khalifa Haftar and his son, General Saddam Haftar, for their role in her release. The Austrian woman said she had been held for a year and nine months.

The women appeared exhausted in the video and in photographs released by the Libyan army. Reuters said a fact-check had verified the images, identifying the women by their faces and jewellery using archive photographs.

Libya has been divided since the 2011 overthrow of Muammar al-Gaddafi. Two rival governments are vying for power: the United Nations-recognised government led by Abdelhamid Dbeibah in Tripoli, and another in eastern Libya controlled by Khalifa Haftar and his circle.