A Swiss kidnapped in Agadez, after the kidnapping of an Austrian in January – Liberation

A new disturbing kidnapping in the Sahel. Three months after the abduction of an Austrian In Agadez, a Swiss nationals disappeared in this same locality in Niger, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAE) announced on Monday, April 14 in Berne and a regional governor of Niger. “The Swiss representation in Niamey is in contact with the local authorities. Clarifications are underway « added the institution, stating that he could not share any other information for the time being.

The governor of the Agadez region, Brigadier General Ibra Boulama Issa, has confirmed « The removal of a foreigner, named by Claudia, of Swiss nationality »kidnapped at his home in Agadez on Sunday evening, « Around 10 pm ». He added that he had chaired an extraordinary meeting of the Regional Security Council for « Evaluate, analyze the situation and consider the actions to be taken to know and understand what really happened » as part of this removal.

According to the local media Aïr-InfoSwiss nationals were born in Lebanon and « Settled in Agadez several years ago after a stay in Algeria where it has evolved in tourism ». Married to a Nigerian, this woman presented launched an association in Agadez to provide help to craftsmen, according to the same source.

His abduction occurs after that, also to Agadez, nicknamed « the door of the desert »from the Austrian Eva Gretzmacher on January 11. Eva Gretzmacher, an Austrian national aged 73, had lived in this city for twenty-eight years when she was kidnapped. Always according to Aïr-Info, armed men presented themselves at his home around 7 p.m. and forced « His goalkeeper to open the door under the threat of a pistol », tells the media. They then entered the house and forced the 73 -year -old Austrian to rise « In a Toyota Pick-Up Land Cruiser V6 vehicle. » Without taking personal effects.

Before these two kidnappings, the last Kidnappings of Westerners in the Agadez region dated 2010 and had been claimed by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQMI). Five French people, a Togolese and a Malagasy, employees of the French nuclear group Areva (now Orano) and his subcontractor Satom had been kidnapped in Arlit, also in the north of the country. Released in several waves, their captivity lasted between five months and just over three years, for the last freed.