US missionary Kevin Rideout released after more than nine months in Niger captivity

An American missionary kidnapped in Niger has been released after more than nine months in captivity. Kevin Rideout was taken outside his home in the capital, Niamey, last year and is now in the care of US officials, according to the international Christian organisation he worked for. The case had drawn attention because of concerns that he may have been seized by militants operating in Niger's west.

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SIM International said on Friday that Rideout was in good health. The organisation said it expected him to be reunited soon with his wife, children and extended family. It described his release as "incredibly good news" after months of uncertainty about his wellbeing.

The group also said the family had asked for privacy as they reconnect. Rideout's kidnapping took place in October, when three armed men took him from outside his home in Niamey. Reports cited diplomatic sources saying he was then taken to the Tillaberi region, an area in western Niger that has been described as a hotbed of militant activity.

There had been fears that he may have been held by groups linked to Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, also known as JNIM, an al-Qaeda affiliate active in the wider Sahel. The release comes against the backdrop of long-running insecurity in Niger and neighbouring parts of Mali, Burkina Faso and Nigeria, where Islamist armed groups have carried out attacks and kidnappings for years. Those groups have targeted civilians, security forces and foreign personnel, and the Tillaberi region has been one of the areas most affected.

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The incident also underlines the risks faced by aid workers, missionaries and other foreign nationals operating in the region. Rideout had worked in Niger as a Christian missionary for 19 years and also served as a pilot for SIM International, which operates in more than 70 countries. The organisation said he had been in the care of US officials after his release, while other reports said he was in FBI custody.

Details of how he was freed, and who had been holding him, have not been made public. What remains unclear is the exact sequence of events that led to his release and whether any group was responsible for his captivity. It is also not known whether his kidnapping was directly linked to militant networks in the Tillaberi region.

The case is likely to remain under close watch because of the wider security situation in Niger and the continuing threat of abductions in the Sahel.

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