Swiss woman kidnapped in Niger, says FDFA
Keystone-SDA
A Swiss citizen has been abducted in Niger, the Swiss foreign ministry said on Monday on X. The Swiss representation in the capital Niamey is in contact with the local authorities.
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“Clarifications are under way,” wrote Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis’s office. Contacted by the Swiss News Agency Keystone-ATS, the foreign ministry would not give any further details for the time being.
The governor of the Agadez region, Brigadier General Ibra Boulama Issa, has confirmed “the abduction of a foreign woman of Swiss nationality”, who was abducted from her home in Agadez on Sunday evening.
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According to local media Aïr Info, the Swiss woman had been living in Agadez, the largest city in northern Niger, for several years. She had moved there after a spell in Algeria, where she worked in tourism. The Swiss citizen, who was born in Lebanon and is married to a Nigerien, has set up an association in Agadez to support artisans, according to Aïr Info.
Last January, an Austrian woman was kidnapped by armed men in Agadez. The 73-year-old had been living in the region for 28 years.
Translated from French by DeepL/ts
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