Swiss and Austrian women reported freed after captivity in Niger

Two European women were reported free in Benghazi, after being held in Niger for more than a year. Libyan television channel Al-Masar announced during the night between Wednesday and Thursday that the Swiss and Austrian nationals had arrived in the eastern Libyan city. The announcement marks a reported end to a long captivity for both women, while their transfer to their home countries remains the next stated step.

Saddam Haftar, deputy commander-in-chief of Libya’s armed forces, was cited by Al-Masar as saying the release followed his intervention. The women appeared in a video broadcast by the channel, seated beneath a portrait of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar. They looked tired and spoke in French as they thanked those involved in securing their release. Libyan officials said the women would be handed over to the authorities in their respective countries once necessary procedures were completed.

The Swiss woman said she had been held for 18 months. In the video, the 69-year-old said she was happy to be free and thanked Khalifa Haftar and his son, Saddam Haftar, for their role in her release. Her account gives the duration of her captivity as a year and six months.

The Austrian woman had been held longer, for 21 months, according to the report. Al-Masar showed both women seated together and speaking French. Their appearance in the broadcast offered a public account of their release, while Libyan officials said procedures would be completed before they were handed over to their national authorities. The report linked the women’s arrival in Benghazi to Saddam Haftar’s intervention. Their separate periods in captivity underline the length of time each had been held, with the Austrian woman’s reported detention lasting three months longer.

Libya said it would transfer the women to their home-country authorities. Al-Masar attributed the release to Saddam Haftar, deputy commander-in-chief of Libya’s armed forces. In the broadcast, the Swiss woman also thanked Marshal Khalifa Haftar and his son. The Austrian woman expressed similar gratitude, according to the report.

The women’s arrival in Benghazi placed the next stage of the process in Libyan hands. Officials said the handover to Swiss and Austrian authorities would follow once the necessary procedures were complete. The report did not describe a further destination for the women beyond that planned transfer. For Switzerland, the announcement concerns the return of a 69-year-old national after a year and a half in captivity. The same report records the Austrian woman’s longer detention, lasting one year and nine months.

The release comes against a backdrop of intensifying kidnappings and insurgent violence in Niger. The country is battling a jihadist insurgency linked to al Qaeda and the Islamic State. The fighting grew out of a Tuareg rebellion in northern Mali in 2012 and has contributed to deaths and displacement across the central Sahel over the past decade.

The report says kidnappings in Niger have also intensified over the last year. The Swiss and Austrian women were held there before their reported arrival in Libya. Their release was announced by Al-Masar, which cited Saddam Haftar, and the women appeared in a video broadcast by the channel. The stated next step is their handover to the authorities in Switzerland and Austria after Libyan procedures are completed. Their case places the risks of the region’s insecurity in sharp focus for European nationals and their families.