Austrian and Swiss women held in Niger reach Benghazi after release, Reuters reports

As of 7:39 p.m. ET, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026

An Austrian woman and a Swiss woman who were abducted in Niger in 2025 have arrived in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi after being freed, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The two officials told Reuters the women would be handed over to authorities in their respective countries after the necessary procedures were completed.

What Reuters reported

The Austrian woman, who is in her 70s and had lived in Niger for years, was kidnapped in the desert town of Agadez in central Niger in January 2025, Reuters reported. The Swiss woman was taken hostage in April 2025.

Little information has been released about which group held the Austrian woman or what demands may have been made, according to Reuters.

What the governments have said

Austria's foreign ministry had no immediate statement on Wednesday evening, the Austria Press Agency reported. No statement on the release had appeared on the X accounts of Austria's foreign ministry or Switzerland's Federal Department of Foreign Affairs as of 7:39 p.m. ET.

When the Swiss woman was abducted, the Swiss foreign ministry said it was aware of the kidnapping of a Swiss citizen in Niger and was in contact with her relatives and with Nigerien authorities, which it said were responsible for resolving the case. It said its crisis management center had set up a task force working with federal police and intelligence to secure her release in good health, and that it could give no further details about her for data-protection and privacy reasons.

Background

Niger, like neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, is battling a jihadist insurgency linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State that grew out of a 2012 Tuareg rebellion in northern Mali, Reuters noted. The fighting has killed thousands and displaced millions across the central Sahel, and kidnappings appeared to intensify in Niger last year, Reuters reported.

Switzerland has advised against all travel to Niger since December 2009, citing the tense security situation and a high risk of kidnapping, according to its foreign ministry.

What is not known

It is not known who held the women, whether any demands or ransom were involved, or how and where their release was arranged. Neither the Austrian nor the Swiss government had publicly confirmed the release. The women's condition and when they will return home have not been disclosed.