Brussels 13.01.2025 An Austrian aid worker, Eva Gretzmacher, 73, has been kidnapped in Niger, the first time a European citizen has been seized in the country since the military took power in 2023. (Image above: Niger hut, illustration) Austria’s Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs said on Sunday, January 12, that its embassy in Algeria, which is also responsible for Niger, had been informed of the incident of an Austrian woman in Agadez and was in contact with authorities on the ground.

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

According to information gathered by Air-Info, armed kidnappers showed up at Gretzmacher’s home on Saturday January 11 in the evening, forcing her security guard to open the door at gunpoint before forcing Gretzmacher into a vehicle.

Gretzmacher supported education programmes and provided assistance to local nongovernmental organisations across various sectors, including ecology and art.

At present Austria’s Foreign Ministry is seeking assistance from its counterpart in Niger, and also in through contacts with regional authorities.

So far, Niger’s Ministry of Interior has not issued a statement about the incident, and none of militant groups has yet claimed responsibility for the abduction.
The European External Actions Service – the EU diplomacy – have not released any comment on the issue.

Later on the EEAS press service added the following statement: “The European Union unreservedly condemns the kidnapping of the Austrian national who was abducted by armed men in Agadez yesterday”. “We are following this case locally through our Delegation in Niamey and in contact with the Austrian Embassy”.