US missionary pilot kidnapped in Niger freed after nine months

Kevin Rideout, an American missionary pilot who was kidnapped in Niger's capital, Niamey, in October last year, has been released and is in US hands, according to the Christian organisation Rideout worked for.

"We are grateful to confirm that our good friend and brother in Christ, Kevin Rideout, has been released after over nine months in captivity," the Serving In Mission organisation said in a statement on Friday.

"Kevin is in good health in the care of US officials," SIM added.

Rideout is on his way to the United States and was with officials from the US FBI, the New York Times, which first reported the news on Thursday, said.

The Times also said Rideout was in good health, based on proof-of-life images that were provided to American officials in the past 48 hours, citing one US official.

The US State Department and the White House did not respond to requests for comment on the report outside regular business hours.

Reuters had reported in October that the missionary, who is a pilot for the evangelical missionary agency SIM, was seized by three unidentified men as he headed to the airport, citing an unnamed diplomat, but did not identify Rideout by name at the time.

The kidnappers then headed toward the western Tillaberi region of Niger, where Islamist militants linked to Islamic State and al Qaeda are active.

Niger, like its neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso, has been battling jihadist insurgencies for over a decade.

The US issued a travel warning to Niger days after the kidnapping, warning its citizens against travelling to Niger, citing crime, unrest, terrorism, health and kidnapping.

Reuters later reported in March that the US was pushing to resume intelligence gathering in neighbouring Mali, partly driven by a desire to find the kidnapped missionary, who at the time was believed to be held in Mali by the local al Qaeda affiliate, Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM).

According to the New York Times, details of how and where Rideout was released remained unclear. It was also unclear which group was holding Rideout at the end of his captivity, as he may have been moved recently, the Times added.

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