Residents and native media report that the sufferer is a 73-year-old who was taken within the metropolis of Agadez.
An Austrian lady has been kidnapped in Niger, the primary time a European citizen has been seized within the nation for the reason that navy took energy in 2023.
Austria’s Federal Ministry for European and Worldwide Affairs mentioned on Sunday that its embassy in Algeria, which can be answerable for Niger, had been knowledgeable of the kidnap of an Austrian lady in Agadez and was involved with authorities on the bottom.
A Nigerien safety supply instructed the Reuters information company that the girl was bundled right into a four-wheel drive by unknown assailants within the Fada district of Agadez, which lies on the sting of the Sahara Desert.
Residents and native media group Air-Information Agadez named the sufferer as Eva Gretzmacher, who has lived in Agadez – 900km (560 miles) from the capital metropolis of Niamey – for 28 years.
Based on data gathered by Air-Information, armed kidnappers confirmed up at Gretzmacher’s house on Saturday night, forcing her safety guard to open the door at gunpoint earlier than forcing Gretzmacher right into a automobile.
“[She] is well-known for her social dedication [and] created a abilities centre in 2010 that initiated numerous tasks, notably within the fields of schooling, ladies’s empowerment,” Air-Information reported.
Gretzmacher, 73, supported schooling programmes and offered help to native nongovernmental organisations throughout numerous sectors, together with ecology and artwork.
Austria’s International Ministry is searching for help from its counterpart in Niger. It is usually involved with regional authorities.
Up to now, Niger’s Ministry of Inside has not issued an announcement concerning the incident.
No group has but claimed accountability for the kidnapping.
Rising safety threats
For years, Niger has been battling armed teams linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS). Safety threats ramped up after the navy toppled the nation’s democratically elected authorities in July 2023.
After seizing energy, the navy expelled French and United States forces from the nation, turning to Russian mercenaries in an effort to keep up stability.
Regardless of its promise to revive peace, nonetheless, the navy’s capability to enhance Niger’s safety has been questioned amid growing assaults by armed teams.
Niger is one in every of a number of West African international locations battling armed rebellions which have unfold from Mali and Burkina Faso over the previous 12 years, killing 1000’s of individuals and uprooting tens of millions.
Earlier than final yr’s coup, Niger was seen as one of many final democratic international locations in Africa’s Sahel area that Western nations might associate with to beat again the revolt.
