An American missionary kidnapped in Niger last year has been released after more than nine months in captivity and returned to United States custody, according to his organisation and US President Donald Trump. Kevin Rideout, a pilot with the evangelical missionary agency SIM International, was abducted in Niger’s capital, Niamey, on October 21 by three armed men while heading towards the airport. The news agency, citing The New York Times, reported on Friday that Rideout was travelling to the US accompanied by FBI officials.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that Rideout was “back in United States Custody”. Details of how and where Rideout was released remain unclear, as does the identity of the group that held him during the final stages of his captivity. After his abduction, the kidnappers were believed to have travelled towards Niger’s western Tillaberi region, where armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) operate. reported in March that Rideout was believed to be held in neighbouring Mali by al-Qaeda affiliate Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM).
Niger and its neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso have struggled with armed groups across the Sahel for years. The US withdrew its troops from Niger after the military seized power in a 2023 coup. Niger’s authorities have since strengthened security and diplomatic ties with Russia.
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