Kevin Rideout, a pilot working for the evangelical missionary organization SIM International, has been released after more than nine months in captivity in Niger and is now in the care of U.S. officials, the group said in a statement.
Rideout was kidnapped by three gunmen in the capital Niamey on October 21 while on his way to the airport. In an announcement on Friday, SIM said: “We are delighted to confirm that our good friend and brother in Christ, Kevin Rideout, has been released after more than nine months in captivity. He is in good health and will soon be reunited with his family.”
Reuters, citing The New York Times, reported that Rideout was on his way back to the United States with FBI officials. However, details of how and where he was freed have not been clarified, nor has the identity of the group that held him in the final stages.
Shortly after the kidnapping, the gunmen were believed to have moved toward the Tillaberi region in western Niger, where armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) operate. Reuters reported in March that Rideout was believed to be held in neighboring Mali by the al-Qaeda affiliate Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM).
Niger, along with its neighbors Mali and Burkina Faso, has faced years of instability from armed groups active in the Sahel region. The United States withdrew its forces from Niger after the 2023 military coup, while Niger’s authorities have since strengthened security and diplomatic cooperation with Russia.
