Niger: U.S. Missionary Kidnapped in Niger Freed After More Than Nine Months

What the report says

Radio France Internationale, as distributed by AllAfrica, reports that American pilot Kevin Rideout has been freed after being held for more than nine months in Niger. Rideout worked for SIM International, an evangelical organization active in more than 70 countries, and was abducted outside his home in Niamey’s Château 1 neighborhood in October 2025, near the presidential palace.

According to the report, SIM International said Rideout is in good health and is receiving care from U.S. officials. The article notes that the circumstances of his captivity were not fully clear at the end, including which group held him, and says he may have been moved between locations. He was previously thought to have been held in Mali by an Islamic State affiliate operating in the Sahel.

The case comes amid continued security concerns in Niger, where kidnapping, crime and terrorism have been central to foreign travel warnings. The report also recalls that another American missionary, Philip Walton, was abducted in Niger in 2020 and later freed in a U.S. special forces operation in Nigeria.

The article says Rideout’s release had been treated as a priority by the Trump administration within its broader Sahel policy, which emphasized security and economic interests. More broadly, the episode underscores the risks facing foreign workers and missionaries in the region.