Austrian woman kidnapped by unknown assailants in Niger

Niger’s first female citizen has been taken since the military’s rule in 2023, and it is the first time an Austrian woman has been abducted there.

Austria’s Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs announced on Sunday that its embassy in Algeria, which is also responsible for Niger, had been informed of the woman’s abduction in Agadez and had spoken with authorities there.

Unknown assailants allegedly bundled the woman into a four-wheel drive in Agadez, a Nigerien security source, in the Fada district of Agadez, which is located near the Sahara Desert.

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

According to information uncovered by Air-Info, armed kidnappers stormed into Gretzmacher’s home on Saturday night, forcing her security guard to shoot at her.

“]She] is well known for her social commitment]and] created a skills centre in 2010 that initiated various projects, notably in the fields of education, women’s empowerment”, Air-Info reported.

Gretzmacher, 73, supported nongovernmental organizations in various fields, including ecology and art, and provided assistance to local nongovernmental organizations.

The counterpart in Niger is requesting assistance from Austria’s foreign ministry. It is also in contact with regional authorities.

So far, Niger’s Ministry of Interior has not issued a statement about the incident.

No one has yet apologised for the kidnapping.

Rising security threats

For years, Niger has been battling armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS). After the military resurrected the country’s democratically elected government in July 2023, security threats increased.

In an effort to maintain stability, the military turned to Russian mercenaries after capturing control of the nation.

Despite its promise to restore peace, however, the military’s capacity to improve Niger’s security has been questioned amid increasing attacks by armed groups.

In addition to killing thousands of people and causing millions of dollars to be lost, Niger is one of the several West African nations that are at risk of armed uprisings that have spread from Mali and Burkinabe over the past 12 years.

Before the coup of last year, Niger was thought to be one of the last democratic nations in the Sahel region of Africa to work with Western countries to halt the uprising.