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Austrian woman kidnapped by unknown assailants in Niger | Crime news


Residents and local media report that the victim is a 73-year-old man who was taken in the city of Agadez.

An Austrian woman has been kidnapped in Niger, the first time a European citizen has been arrested in the country since the military took power in 2023.

Austria’s federal ministry for European and international affairs said on Sunday that its embassy in Algeria, which is also responsible for Niger, had been informed of the abduction of the Austrian woman in Agadez and was in contact with authorities on the ground.

A Nigerien security source told the Reuters news agency that unknown assailants put the woman in a four-wheeler in the Fada district of Agadez, which is on the edge of the Sahara desert.

Residents and local media group Air-Info Agadez named the victim as Eva Gretzmacher, who has lived in Agadez – 900 km (560 miles) from the capital Niamey – for 28 years.

According to information gathered by Air-Info, armed kidnappers showed up at Gretzmacher’s home on Saturday night, forcing her security guard to open the door at gunpoint before forcing Gretzmacher into a vehicle.

“[She] is known for her social engagement [and] created a skills center in 2010 that launched various projects, especially in the field of education, women’s empowerment,” Air-Info reported.

Gretzmacher, 73, supported educational programs and provided assistance to local non-governmental organizations in various sectors, including ecology and the arts.

The Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is asking for help from its counterpart in Niger. He is also in contact with the regional authorities.

Niger’s Ministry of Interior has not yet commented on the incident.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the abduction.

Growing security threats

Niger has been battling armed groups linked to Al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) for years. Security threats increased after the military overthrew the country’s democratically elected government in the July 2023.

After taking power, the military drove French and American forces out of the country, turning around Russian mercenaries in an effort to maintain stability.

However, despite promising to restore peace, the military’s ability to improve Niger’s security has been called into question by increasingly frequent attacks by armed groups.

Niger is one of several West African countries fighting armed insurgencies spread from Mali and Burkina Faso in the past 12 years, killing thousands of people and driving millions from their homes.

Before last year’s coup, Niger was considered one of the last democratic countries in Africa’s Sahel region with which Western nations could cooperate in suppressing the insurgency.



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