US missionary kidnapped in African state

The man, identified as Kevin Rideout, was reportedly captured by an unknown group near the presidential palace in Niger on Tuesday

A US national with the evangelical Christian organization Serving in Mission (SIM) has been abducted in Niger’s capital, Niamey, multiple outlets have reported, citing security and official sources.

The man, identified as Kevin Rideout, was kidnapped a few streets from the presidential palace on Tuesday night, according to Wamaps, a collective of journalists covering West Africa’s security situation. Rideout has been in Niger since 2010, providing emergency humanitarian air transport as a pilot for the American charity, the group said on Wednesday.

“None of the terrorist groups operating in Nigerien territory have claimed responsibility for this kidnapping, and no ransom has been demanded,” the group wrote on X on Wednesday.

Rideout was seized by three unidentified men as he headed to the airport in Plateau neighborhood, before the kidnappers moved toward the western Tillaberi region, an anonymous diplomat told Reuters.

The Tillaberi region, which borders Mali, is a stronghold for militants affiliated to Islamic State and Al-Qaeda, who have waged a deadly insurgency across the Sahel for more than a decade.

#NIGER

Read Original