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Austrian and Swiss women, 76 and 69, are freed in Libya after more than 18 months held captive in Niger

Eva Gretzmacher, 76, and Claudia Abbt, 69, were handed to authorities in the Libyan city of Benghazi after their release. Libyan commander Khalifa Hifter reportedly oversaw the operation, and both women thanked him and his son Saddam. They had been snatched separately in Agadez in January and April 2025.

'I had been held hostage for a year and nine months,' said Gretzmacher.

Gretzmacher, an aid worker, had lived in Niger for more than 20 years.

Footage showed both women looking weakened as they entered an ambulance in Benghazi.

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