Two women from Austria and Switzerland who were kidnapped in Niger have been freed, according to the Associated Press, whose report ran on KHOU, and the Times of Malta.

The Austrian woman is Eva Gretzmacher, 76, the Times of Malta reported. She is an aid worker who was kidnapped in the city of Agadez in January 2025, the AP said. The Swiss woman, Claudia Abbt, 69, was taken in the same city in April 2025, the outlets reported.

Austria's foreign minister, Beate Meinl-Reisinger, said the country worked with Switzerland and other partners to free the women, the AP and the Times of Malta reported. "We are all very relieved that Eva G. is free again after more than 21 months," she said.

Swiss staff met Abbt in Benghazi, Libya, where she received medical care, the Times of Malta reported, citing the Swiss foreign ministry. She is on her way home, the AP and the Times of Malta reported.

"I am relieved that the kidnapped Swiss woman is free again after more than a year and a half," Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said, according to the Times of Malta.

Gretzmacher's son, Christoph, wrote on Facebook that "today is a good day," the Times of Malta said.

Officials did not say who carried out the kidnappings or how the women were freed, the AP reported. No group has publicly claimed responsibility, the Times of Malta said.

The Austrian woman had lived in Agadez for more than 20 years, the AP reported, citing local media. Abbt had lived there for several years and is married to a man from Niger, the Times of Malta said.

Niger has fought an insurgency linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group for years, the AP reported. Analysts say security has worsened since the military seized power in July 2023, the AP said.

What we know: Both women are free after more than a year and a half in captivity.
What we don't: Who held them, and how their release was secured.