Two Women Freed in Niger After 21 Months in Captivity
An Austrian aid worker and a Swiss citizen were released after being held for over a year and a half.
Two women from Austria and Switzerland have been freed in Niger after spending more than a year and a half in captivity, officials and local media reported Thursday.
The Austrian woman, identified as Eva G., was received by an Austrian crisis team, according to a statement from Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger. She was kidnapped in Agadez city in January of last year. The Swiss citizen was abducted in the same city in April 2025, several months after the Austrian woman's capture.
Meinl-Reisinger stated that Austria collaborated with Switzerland to secure a safe resolution for the women, expressing relief that Eva G. is free after more than 21 months, calling the ordeal an "unimaginable burden" for her and her family.
The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed the release of the Swiss woman, according to Swiss media. Swiss newspaper 20 Minuten reported she was en route home.
Details regarding the perpetrators of the abductions and the specific circumstances of their release were not immediately disclosed by officials. The Austrian woman had been working as an aid worker in Agadez, a city located hundreds of kilometers from the capital, Niamey, where she had resided for over two decades. The Swiss citizen had also lived in Niger for several years.
Niger has been contending with a jihadi insurgency linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group for many years. Security analysts note that the nation's security crisis has intensified since the military takeover of the government in July 2023. Despite promises from the junta to restore peace in troubled regions, their effectiveness in improving Niger's security situation has faced increasing scrutiny amidst a rise in attacks.