American Missionary Pilot Released After Nine Months in Captivity in Niger

SIM International announced August 14, 2026, that American missionary pilot Kevin Rideout, kidnapped outside his Niamey home on October 21, 2025, has been released. He is in good health and in U.S. officials' care. The release came after Niger's 2023 coup and U.S. troop withdrawal, though limited security cooperation, including a $2.3 million equipment donation, has continued. The State Department had not confirmed the release.