“Kevin Rideout is in good health and is being cared for by US officials,” said SIM International, the organisation Rideout worked for.

The 50-year-old American pilot had worked for the evangelical organisation, which operates in more than 70 countries, for 19 years.

Rideout was kidnapped outside his home in Niamey – in Château 1, a residential neighbourhood in the city centre near the presidential palace – in October 2025.

He was initially believed to be being held in Mali by the Sahel branch of the Islamic State group. However, according to a senior United States official quoted by The New York Times, the group holding him at the end of his captivity has not been clearly identified.

Rideout may also have been moved between locations.

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Since his abduction, Washington has placed Niger under its highest level of travel warning, citing the risks of crime, terrorism and kidnapping, with the US State Department warning: “Do not travel to Niger for any reason.”

Another American missionary, Philip Walton, was kidnapped in Niger in 2020. He was captured in Massalata, near the border with Nigeria, and was freed several days later during an operation by US special forces in northern Nigeria.

The administration of US President Donald Trump had made Rideout’s release a priority as part of its recent strategy with the Sahel countries, focusing on security and the exploitation of natural resources rather than the promotion of democracy.

(with newswires)