US missionary kidnapped in Niger released after nine months in captivity

What the report says

An American missionary pilot kidnapped in Niger has been released after more than nine months in captivity and is now in the custody of US officials, according to his organisation, SIM International. Kevin Rideout was abducted in Niamey, the capital, on October 21 by three armed men while he was on his way to the airport.

SIM said Rideout was in good health and expected to be reunited with his family soon. Reuters, citing The New York Times, reported that he was travelling to the United States with FBI personnel. The circumstances of his release, including where it happened and who held him in the final phase of his captivity, have not been publicly confirmed.

After the kidnapping, the abductors were believed to have moved toward Niger’s western Tillaberi region, an area where armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State operate. Reuters also reported earlier this year that Rideout was thought to have been held in neighbouring Mali by Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, an al-Qaeda affiliate. The case highlights the wider insecurity affecting Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, where militant violence has persisted for years.

The report also comes against a broader backdrop of political change in Niger, where the military took power in a 2023 coup and later deepened security and diplomatic ties with Russia after the US withdrew troops.