American Missionary Pilot Released After Nine Months in Niger

Kevin Rideout, a 48-year-old American missionary pilot with SIM International, was freed on August 14, 2026, after over nine months in captivity in Niamey, Niger. Abducted on October 21, 2025, he is now in US official care and headed home in good health. How his release was secured — and by which captors — remains undisclosed.