{"id":276910,"date":"2025-01-14T11:14:59","date_gmt":"2025-01-14T11:14:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2025\/01\/14\/austrian-woman-kidnapped-by-unknown-gunmen-in-niger\/"},"modified":"2025-01-14T11:14:59","modified_gmt":"2025-01-14T11:14:59","slug":"austrian-woman-kidnapped-by-unknown-gunmen-in-niger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2025\/01\/14\/austrian-woman-kidnapped-by-unknown-gunmen-in-niger\/","title":{"rendered":"Austrian woman kidnapped by unknown gunmen in Niger"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"article-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ghanaweb.com\/imagelib\/pics\/911\/91158305.295.jpg\" alt=\"Sunset over the desert town of Agadez, Niger\" title=\"Sunset over the desert town of Agadez, Niger\" width=\"295\" height=\"173\" \/> <span class=\"image_caption\"><span>Sunset over the desert town of Agadez, Niger<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-user-select: none; -webkit-touch-callout: none; -moz-user-select: none; -ms-user-select: none; user-select: none;\">\n<p id=\"article-123\">An Austrian woman has been kidnapped in Niger, the first time a European citizen has been seized in the country since the military took power in 2023.<\/p>\n<p>Austria\u2019s 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 kidnap of an Austrian woman in Agadez and was in contact with authorities on the ground.<\/p>\n<p>A Nigerien security source told the Reuters news agency that the woman was bundled into a four-wheel drive by unknown assailants in the Fada district of Agadez, which lies on the edge of the Sahara Desert.<\/p>\n<p>Residents and local media group Air-Info Agadez named the victim as Eva Gretzmacher, who has lived in Agadez \u2013 900km (560 miles) from the capital city of Niamey \u2013 for 28 years.<\/p>\n<p>According to information gathered by Air-Info, armed kidnappers showed up at Gretzmacher\u2019s home on Saturday evening, forcing her security guard to open the door at gunpoint before forcing Gretzmacher into a vehicle.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[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\u2019s empowerment,\u201d Air-Info reported.<\/p>\n<p>Gretzmacher, 73, supported education programmes and provided assistance to local nongovernmental organisations across various sectors, including ecology and art.<\/p>\n<p>Austria\u2019s Foreign Ministry is seeking assistance from its counterpart in Niger. It is also in contact with regional authorities.<\/p>\n<p>So far, Niger\u2019s Ministry of Interior has not issued a statement about the incident.<\/p>\n<p>No group has yet claimed responsibility for the abduction.<\/p>\n<p><b>Rising security threats<\/b><\/p>\n<p>For years, Niger has been battling armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS). Security threats ramped up after the military toppled the country\u2019s democratically elected government in July 2023.<\/p>\n<p>After seizing power, the military expelled French and United States forces from the country, turning to Russian mercenaries in an effort to maintain stability.<\/p>\n<p>Despite its promise to restore peace, however, the military\u2019s capacity to improve Niger\u2019s security has been questioned amid increasing attacks by armed groups.<\/p>\n<p>Niger is one of several West African countries battling armed rebellions that have spread from Mali and Burkina Faso over the past 12 years, killing thousands of people and uprooting millions.<\/p>\n<p>Before last year\u2019s coup, Niger was seen as one of the last democratic countries in Africa\u2019s Sahel region that Western nations could partner with to beat back the rebellion.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sunset over the desert town of Agadez, Niger An Austrian woman has been kidnapped in Niger, the first time a European citizen has been seized in the country since the military took power in 2023. Austria\u2019s Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs said on Sunday that its embassy in Algeria, which is also responsible [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":276911,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-276910","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-africa"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Austrian woman kidnapped by unknown gunmen in Niger - Ghanamma.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2025\/01\/14\/austrian-woman-kidnapped-by-unknown-gunmen-in-niger\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Austrian woman kidnapped by unknown gunmen in Niger - Ghanamma.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Sunset over the desert town of Agadez, Niger An Austrian woman has been kidnapped in Niger, the first time a European citizen has been seized in the country since the military took power in 2023. 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