A Swiss national was abducted by armed assailants on Sunday, April 13, in the Agadez region of northern Niger, according to local authorities. The incident marks the second kidnapping of a foreign national in the area in 2024, following the abduction of an Austrian woman in January. Security officials say the victim was taken near the town of Arlit, a uranium-mining hub frequently used as a transit point by migrants and vulnerable to armed group activity. The kidnappers’ identity remains unknown, and no group has claimed responsibility.
Niger’s interim military government, which came to power in a July 2023 coup, has launched an investigation and deployed additional security forces to the region. However, instability remains widespread, particularly in the north where criminal networks, jihadist groups, and traffickers operate across porous borders with Mali, Algeria, and Libya.
The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) confirmed the kidnapping and stated that it is working with Nigerien authorities and international partners to secure the victim’s release. The Swiss embassy in Senegal is overseeing consular support. The incident underscores the fragile security situation in the Sahel, where Westerners have increasingly become targets for ransom-driven kidnappings and extremist violence, particularly in regions outside state control.
