No group claimed responsibility for October 2025 abduction
Kevin Rideout was kidnapped on October 21, 2025, in Niamey, the capital of Niger — a junta-ruled West African nation long plagued by insecurity. SIM International, the Christian nonprofit that employs him, said Friday that he “is in good health in the care of US officials” and would soon be reunited with his family. The organization did not say where or how the release took place.
The U.S. State Department had not confirmed the release as of Friday.
No group claimed responsibility for the abduction, though several jihadist groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State organization operate in the country. The country has grown increasingly anti-Western since the 2023 military coup overthrew the democratically elected government.
In 2024, at the request of the junta, the United States completed its withdrawal of hundreds of troops from an airbase that had supported counterterrorism operations. This year, however, the U.S. government announced it had donated $2.3 million in military equipment to Niger after the two governments “reaffirmed a shared commitment to security cooperation.”
A May statement from the U.S. Embassy in Niger said the assistance “reflects our shared interest in countering terrorism, combating kidnapping for ransom, disrupting criminal networks, and strengthening regional security” and “advances United States national security interests by helping a partner in the Sahel defend its territory, secure its borders, and reduce threats that can affect our respective nations.”
No information on who held Rideout or how his release was secured has been made public.