An Austrian woman has been kidnapped in the northern Niger city of Agadez, local media and the Austrian Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.
The ministry said Austria’s embassy in Algeria, which is also responsible for Niger, has been alerted and is in contact with regional authorities on the ground.
Local media outlet Air-Info Agadez identified the man as a 73-year-old man who has lived in Agadez, about 900 kilometers (560 miles) from the capital Niamey, for more than 20 years.
No group has claimed responsibility for his kidnapping. So far, Niger authorities have not commented on the incident.
2023 It is the first time a European citizen has been kidnapped since the coup.
This abduction is the first time that a European citizen has been kidnapped in the West African nation since the military coup in 2023.
Niger, like its neighbors Mali and Burkina Faso, is caught in a conflict involving Islamist groups linked to al-Qaeda and the so-called “Islamic State”.
Analysts say the situation in Niger has worsened since the military ousted the country’s democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum in July 2023.
ESS/JSI (AP, AFP)
