NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Two women from Austria and Switzerland have been freed in Niger after spending more than a year and a half in captivity, officials and local media reported Thursday.
The Austrian woman, an aid worker identified as Eva G, was received by the Austrian crisis team on Thursday, Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger said in a statement.
She was kidnapped in Niger’s Agadez city in January last year, months before the Swiss citizen was abducted in the same city in April 2025.
Meinl-Reisinger said Austria worked with Switzerland to find “a safe solution” for the women.
“We are all very relieved that Eva G. is free again after more than 21 months. This time was an unimaginable burden for her and her family,” Meinl-Reisinger said.
Swiss media quoted the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs as confirming the release of the Swiss woman.
Swiss newspaper 20 Minuten reported she was on her way home, quoting Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis.
Officials did not say who was responsible for the abductions or how both women were freed.
The Austrian woman had been working as an aid worker in Agadez, hundreds of kilometers (miles) away from the capital city of Niamey, where she lived for more than 20 years, Nigerien media reported.
The Swiss citizen had also lived in Niger for several years.
Niger has for many years battled a jihadi insurgency linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. Analysts say the country's security crisis has worsened since the military toppled the country’s government in July 2023.
Despite their promise to restore peace in hot spots, the junta’s capacity to improve Niger’s security has increasingly been questioned amid more frequent attacks.
FILE - In this photo taken Sunday, April 15, 2018, children look on from behind a wire fence that separates their town from the current airport, in Agadez, Niger. (AP Photo/Carley Petesch, File)
It’s been a rough start for some high-profile offensive coordinators with new teams.
Former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel was supposed to help elevate Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers, bringing his innovative ideas to the West Coast. Instead, the Chargers are 0-6 because the offense has been terrible and Herbert has regressed significantly.
Former Giants coach Brian Daboll was expected to develop Cam Ward the way he helped Josh Allen in Buffalo. But the Tennessee Titans have the worst offense in the league and Ward has been inconsistent.
The New York Jets are 25th in yards and 27th in scoring in former Colts coach Frank Reich’s offense.
Several more of the 21 new offensive coordinators this season are also having a difficult time over the first six weeks.
Davis Webb already lost play-calling duties in Denver as Broncos coach Sean Payton reclaimed that job less than a month into the season.
Jalen Hurts was off to a slow start in Sean Mannion’s offense before he was sidelined because of blood clots.
Sam Darnold has taken a step backward under Brian Fleury after leading the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl last season.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been dismal on offense in Zac Robinson’s system. Baker Mayfield was out of sync in three games before he injured his thumb and undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels didn’t fare much better.
McDaniel brought a fast-paced offense that features an outside-zone run scheme, rhythm-based passing structures and heavy pre-snap motion. Herbert, a two-time Pro Bowl QB with elite physical skills, hasn’t mastered it. He has thrown eight interceptions and his 68.8 passer rating is almost 25 points lower than his career-low. A depleted offensive line hasn’t helped.
Now the question is how long will coach Jim Harbaugh stick with McDaniel.
“We’re looking into everything at this point, and that process is ongoing-particularly offensively, scoring more points,” Harbaugh said before the team entered its bye this week.
McDaniel expressed confidence in getting the offense on track before the unit produced just two field goals and 259 total yards in a 22-6 loss to Kansas City last Sunday.
“I will be doing my very best because from an integrity standpoint I think it’s really insulting to do anything else,” he said. “That won’t change. I would be so embarrassed if I told you, ‘well now I’m going to try harder.’ Like what? What have you been doing? I’m confident in the players that we have. I think that the improvement that I see before the results generally lead to good things. But talk is cheap. We got to do.”
They’re not getting the job done in Los Angeles.
Daboll was instrumental in Allen’s growth during his time as offensive coordinator with the Bills. He was AP NFL Coach of the Year in his first season with the New York Giants in 2022 and won a playoff game with Daniel Jones. But Daboll was 11-33 over the next 2 1/2 seasons.
Titans coach Robert Saleh brought Daboll to Tennessee to work with Ward, hoping he could maximize the 2025 No. 1-overall pick’s talent. Daboll’s passing scheme relies on concepts and focuses on quick, high-percentage throws, and includes heavy run-pass options.
Ward hasn’t figured it out yet. He has just four TDs, four picks and a 75.0 passer rating.
“I think the biggest thing is, particularly when you’re a young guy and you’re seeing so many things, you’re in a new system and there’s a lot of growing to do,” Daboll said Thursday. “Obviously, the results have not shown. We’re good with the direction we’re headed, but we’re not good with the results we’re getting.”
New offensive coordinators bring new systems, new schemes, new verbiage and terminology. It takes time for most quarterbacks and their coordinators to get in rhythm. For some, things click right away.
Drew Petzing’s offense in Detroit leads the NFL in scoring (32.8 points per game) and is fourth in total yards (393.8). He has plenty of talent led by Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Eric Bieniemy's return to Kansas City has helped spark the Chiefs. Andy Reid calls plays but Bieniemy’s presence is valuable for the offense.
“He’s not going to let you slack off at all in anything,” running back Kenneth Walker III said. “You feel like you could do the play 100% correct and he’ll still have something to say. Having that is good because you’ve got no room to be satisfied. Everybody knows what to expect and he’s going to make sure we play for the team and not for ourselves.”
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Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, left, is seen on the field with running back Omarion Hampton prior to an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Strazzante)
