Two European Women Freed After 18 Months Held in Niger

WHO:

ABC News World - The two women are from Austria and Switzerland.

BBC News - The women are aid workers from Switzerland and Austria.

WHAT:

ABC News World - The two women were freed after being held in captivity for more than a year and a half.

BBC News - Two European women held captive for more than a year were freed.

WHERE:

ABC News World - The women were held in Niger.

BBC News - The women were freed in Libya.

WHEN:

ABC News World - The women spent more than a year and a half in captivity.

BBC News - Reports said the aid workers were due to fly home on Thursday.

HOW:

ABC News World - Officials and local media reported the women’s release.

BBC News - Reports said the women would fly home.

(UPDATED October 22, 2026 14:10 UTC)

Two European aid workers, one from Austria and the other from Switzerland, have been freed after more than a year and a half in captivity. The women were held in Niger and were released in Libya, according to reports from officials and local media. Their release ends a long period of uncertainty for the aid workers, who had been held for over a year. Reports said they were expected to fly home on Thursday. The circumstances of their release were not detailed, but their journey home was set to follow their liberation in Libya. Both women are now out of captivity, after being held far from their home countries for an extended period.