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Libyan media reported on Thursday that two European hostages were released after more than a year and a half of being held in Niger, as they arrived in the city of Benghazi in eastern Libya.
Al-Masar channel stated that "an Austrian and a Swiss hostage were liberated after a year and a half of being held in Niger," adding that they arrived "in Benghazi through the intervention of the Deputy Commander-in-Chief."
The channel, which is based in eastern Libya, indicated that "the Deputy Commander-in-Chief, Lieutenant General Saddam Khalifa Haftar, intervened in the liberation efforts in response to appeals from their families."
The 76-year-old Austrian, Eva Gritzmacher, and the 69-year-old Swiss, Claudia Abt, were kidnapped in Niger in 2025.
The channel broadcast footage showing the two women, who appeared exhausted, undergoing medical examinations and then speaking in French, with a picture of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar behind them, to express their thanks to those who contributed to their liberation.
Gritzmacher said, "I am Austrian and I am 76 years old, and I thank from the bottom of my heart Field Marshal Haftar and his son Saddam who released us," adding, "I was a hostage for a year and nine months."
As for Abt, she said that she is "of Swiss origin, and I was held for a year and six months. I am now happy to be free," also expressing her thanks to Haftar and his son for everything they did to secure her release.
The channel indicated that the necessary procedures are being completed in preparation for handing them over to the competent authorities in their respective countries.
The Libyan Observatory news website also reported their release.
Libya has been witnessing a state of instability since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi and his subsequent death in 2011, and it is divided between a UN-recognized government based in Tripoli headed by Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, and a rival administration in the east supported by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, commander of the "Libyan National Army."
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