US missionary kidnapped in Niger capital, suspected taken toward Mali
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The US has confirmed the incident as efforts are underway for safe release.
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US missionary and pilot Kevin Rideout in an undated photo (AP)
An American missionary and pilot, identified as Kevin Rideout, and affiliated with evangelical Christian organization SIM International has been kidnapped in Niger’s capital, Niamey, diplomatic sources confirmed Wednesday. The man, reportedly in his 50s, was abducted on Tuesday near the presidential palace, in a central area that hosts numerous international organizations.
According to Wamaps, a collective of West African journalists, the individual worked as a pilot providing urgent humanitarian air transport since 2010.
Victim believed to be headed toward Mali border
A diplomatic source told AFP that the missionary is “already en route for the border with Mali,” a region known as a stronghold for terrotist groups operating across the Sahel.
As of Wednesday night, no armed group has claimed responsibility for the abduction, and no ransom demand has been made, according to Wamaps. The US State Department confirmed the incident and stated that its embassy in Niamey is working with local authorities to secure the man’s safe release.
SIM International operates in Niger and across West Africa, providing medical support, clean water access, and evangelical outreach.
A US official confirmed that everything possible was being done to retrieve the individual.
The abduction is the latest in a series of kidnappings targeting Westerners in Niger amid growing insecurity and political instability.
Niger faces wave of abductions
Niger, under military rule since a 2023 coup, has seen a surge in abductions. In April, a 67-year-old Swiss woman was kidnapped in Agadez, just months after the abduction of 73-year-old Austrian national Eva Gretzmacher in the same city. Both incidents were believed to be linked to terrorists.
US missionary Philip Walton was previously kidnapped in 2020 and later rescued by US special forces. American aid worker Jeffery Woodke, abducted in 2016, was freed in 2023.
Following the expulsion of US and French forces post-coup, Niger’s capacity to counter insurgency threats has weakened. "With our withdrawal from the region, we have lost our ability to monitor these terrorist groups closely," said former US Africa Command head General Michael Langley in May.
Niger faces attacks from Boko Haram near Lake Chad and from groups linked to Al-Qaeda and ISIS along its borders with Mali and Burkina Faso.
