Niger kidnapped an Austrian woman, according to sources

In central Niger’s desert town of Agadez, an Austrian woman was abducted on Saturday, according to two Nigerien security sources.

Unknown attackers reportedly loaded the woman into a 4×4 in Agadez’s Fada area, which is located on the edge of the Sahara Desert, according to one of the sources.

The potential kidnapping was reported to Austria’s embassy in Niger, the country’s European and International Affairs Ministry stated Sunday.

It further stated that the embassy maintains communication with regional authorities on the ground, the EU representation, and partner nations.

A request for response from Niger’s Interior Ministry was not immediately answered.

Niger is fighting against organizations associated with Islamic State and al Qaeda, just like its neighbors Mali and Burkina Faso. Over the past ten years, violence in the central Sahel region of West Africa has resulted in thousands of deaths and millions of displaced people.