Austria's foreign ministry says a female citizen has been abducted by unidentified assailants in the military-run West African country of Niger.
It confirmed the incident to AFP and said it was aware of “the possible abduction of an Austrian woman” in Agadez, 900 kilometers (559 miles) from the capital Niamey.
The woman was forcibly taken away in a 4×4 vehicle by unidentified men in Agadez, Fada district on the edge of the Sahara desert, Reuters news agency reported.
According to local media sites, the victim, identified as Eva Gretzmacher, was a development worker in her mid-70s and had lived in Niger for more than two decades. Air Info Agadez.
Niger has not yet commented on the incident.
The kidnappers showed up at Ms Gretzmacher's house with guns and forced their way in, Air Info said. They did not take anything else, the report said.
Ms Gretzmacher is said to have run projects in the fields of education, health, women's empowerment and culture.
Austria's foreign ministry said it was working with EU delegations and authorities on the ground.
Niger has been struggling with an Islamist insurgency for years.
One of its justifications for ousting democratically elected President Mohamed Bazum in July 2023 is that the military junta is under pressure for failing to prevent militant attacks.
Niger, along with its neighbors Mali and Burkina Faso, are battling attacks by groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS.
Since the coup, Niger has called on France and other Western powers to withdraw their military bases and formed a security alliance with junta-led neighbors Mali and Burkina Faso.