US missionary released following kidnap in Niger, Christian group says
bbc.com • • nation
Key Points:
- American missionary Kevin Rideout has been released after more than nine months in captivity in Niger, according to SIM International, the Christian organisation he worked for.
- Rideout was kidnapped in October 2023 by armed men in Niamey and taken to the Tillaberi region, known for militant activity, with suspicions he was held by jihadist groups like Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM).
- He is currently in good health and under US FBI custody, though details of his release and captors remain unclear; Rideout is expected to reunite with his family soon.
- Rideout had worked in Niger for 19 years as a missionary and pilot for SIM International, which operates globally, and his release brings relief amid ongoing regional instability caused by Islamist militant violence.
- The Sahel region, including Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Nigeria, continues to face severe security challenges from jihadist groups, resulting in thousands of deaths and widespread destabilisation.
