Kidnapped Swiss Woman: Son of Vienna Niger Hostage Sees Parallels

Just like his mother around 100 days ago, the Swiss citizen was also abducted from her home in the Nigerien Sahara desert city of Agadez in the evening. The Foreign Ministry confirmed contacts with the Swiss authorities upon APA's request. Insiders from the region suspect that the Islamic State in the Sahel zone (ISGS or ISSP) is behind both kidnappings.

Christoph Gretzmacher, the son of the almost 73-year-old Viennese woman, hopes that his mother is now "no longer alone" in the hands of the kidnappers. Although he has no direct contact with the kidnappers, he "can very well imagine" that the kidnapping of the 67-year-old Swiss woman involves the same perpetrators. Like the two hostages, Gretzmacher himself lived in Agadez for many years and claims to have an extensive network on site. It could prove helpful "that now a second government is taking up the matter and Switzerland, through its new and active role, can exert more pressure on local and regional players," he tells APA. And Gretzmacher points out that Eva G. has been kidnapped for 100 days as of April 21.

Increasing Kidnappings Orchestrated by IS

Several sources from the region suspect that the kidnappers were bandits who sold the hostages to IS. According to recent information, Eva G. is doing well, it was said to APA. Insiders also point to the case of the German development worker Jörg L. The man was released in December 2022 after four years of captivity and, according to his own statements, was treated correctly by ISGS. The Islamist terrorist militia JNIM, a regional offshoot of Al-Qaeda, denied involvement in the kidnapping of Eva G.

An expert confirms that ISSP has recently orchestrated a series of kidnappings of foreign nationals in the Sahel zone. "The number of kidnappings of foreigners carried out by the ISSP is unprecedented this year. Previously, the group only conducted such operations very sporadically," explains West Africa analyst Héni Nsaibia of the conflict data organization ACLED. "This change seems to be due to the group's need for resources, as higher ransoms are paid for foreigners than for local abductees."

Recently, ISSP seems to be outsourcing kidnappings to other armed groups and gangs. "Armed bandits may also take hostages because they know they can 'sell' them to the ISSP," Nsaibia adds in an interview published on the ACLED homepage. As an example, the expert cites the kidnapping of a Spanish citizen in Algeria in January by local criminals, which was eventually thwarted by Tuareg rebels of the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) before the bandits could hand him over to the ISSP. "A similar tactic was applied when an unnamed group, believed to be associated with the ISSP, kidnapped the Austrian woman in Agadez before allegedly bringing her to an ISSP stronghold."

Crisis Team in the Region

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not confirm this assumption upon APA request. "In the case of the kidnapped Austrian woman in Niger, there are no new developments so far," it states in a statement to the APA. "The crisis team in the region is diligently following up on the available leads and contacts." The Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs also does not provide any information about the kidnappers. The Swiss representation in the capital Niamey is in contact with the Nigerien authorities, "who are responsible for resolving this kidnapping case," according to the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) in Bern.

The EU Special Representative for the Sahel, João Cravinho, also does not wish to comment on "ongoing consular matters" upon APA inquiry. "We can only confirm that we are following this case on the ground through our delegation in Niamey and are in contact with the responsible Austrian embassy to establish the appropriate contacts on site," emphasizes Cravinho's office.

Son of Vienna Niger Hostage Identifies Parallels to New Kidnapping

The security situation in the Sahel region is highly tense following military coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. The Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a travel warning for Niger due to the risk of attacks and kidnappings. The Swiss Foreign Ministry points out that armed gangs and terrorist groups are active in large parts of the Sahara and the Sahel, living off smuggling, robberies, and kidnappings. They are well-organized, operate across borders, and have connections to local criminal groups.

While Western countries like France and the USA have left the region, bilateral support has shifted to Russia, specifically through mercenaries of the Wagner Group and its successor, the Africa Corps, analyzes the conflict data organization ACLED. According to the NGO, IS Sahel is one of the most violent and active armed actors in the region. It has strategically exploited the security vacuum created by the withdrawal of French troops to expand its sphere of influence in the border region, particularly in the Malian region of Ménaka. Recently, however, ISGS has changed its tactics - from mass violence to more structured forms of territorial control with the aim of establishing a self-proclaimed jihadist government system, explains ACLED on its homepage.

(APA/Red)

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