Islamic State – Sahel Province operatives abducted two Swiss aid workers from Agadez in early 2025, part of a broader wave of militant attacks in northern Niger.
Key Facts
- First abduction date
- 11 January 2025 (Eva Gretzmacher)
- Second abduction date
- 13 April 2025 (Claudia Abbt)
- Perpetrator group
- Islamic State – Sahel Province
- Soldiers killed (Feb 1 ambush)
- 2 Nigerien National Guard soldiers
- Soldiers killed (Apr 24)
- 12 National Guard soldiers near Sakoira
- Workers abducted (Apr 25)
- 5 Indian electricians and 1 Nigerien worker near Kandadji Dam
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Armed men hired by the Islamic State – Sahel Province carried out a coordinated campaign targeting foreign nationals and infrastructure workers in the Agadez region of northern Niger, an area with growing militant activity. The group sought to exploit Niger's security vulnerabilities following political instability in the country.
On 11 January 2025, Eva Gretzmacher was abducted from her home in Agadez; Claudia Abbt was similarly taken on 13 April 2025. Three likely related incidents followed: a February ambush killing two National Guard soldiers and abducting two CNPC workers, an April 24 attack killing 12 soldiers near Sakoira, and an April 25 kidnapping of five Indian electricians and a Nigerien worker near the Kandadji Dam.
The series of abductions and attacks highlighted the expanding reach of the Islamic State – Sahel Province in Niger, threatening foreign workers at key infrastructure sites including the Agadem oil complex and Kandadji Dam, and raising international concern over the safety of aid and energy sector personnel in the region.